


Foreign Affairs

by RomanMoray



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anidala is definitely in the background but they are still cute, Bodyguard!Cody, Cody is ex-military, Cody is oblivious and also adorable, FLUFF CITY GUYS, I mean he's kind of a bodyguard canonically, I would say humor or crack but I am not sure if I am actually funny, M/M, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a man of MANY hobbies, Obi-Wan carries around a houseplant, Obi-Wan is also oblivious and also adorable, Obi-Wan occupies a position in the British Government, Pining, Politics, Slow Burn, a true renaissance man, blatantly making up shit about a lot of things, it's a real position too!, no beta so good luck my dudes, teen rating for language and suggestive content, this just gets progressively more silly, you think I'm kidding? I'm not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24205129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanMoray/pseuds/RomanMoray
Summary: Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi, the British Minister for the European Neighborhood and the Americas, and his assistant Anakin Skywalker travel to New York City for a conference, and his coworkers insist that he have bodyguards. Enter poor Cody Fett, an ex-navy commander who is about to get dragged into some political nonsense.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 130
Kudos: 471





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I have a few notes about this story. And by notes I really mean disclaimers. 
> 
> 1\. I am new to writing anything longer than a five-page argumentative essay. So, uh, bear with me.  
> 2\. I DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT POLITICS, BRITISH OR OTHERWISE. I am doing as much research as I need to for this to make sense, I think, but I am also just blatantly making shit up at times. I'm really just shooting for consistency rather than... real world applicability. I only mention this because normally I am quite detail oriented but I also don't want to spend more time reading Wikipedia articles about the history of British diplomacy than actually writing the story, which is more about Obi-Wan and Cody anyway. That said, please let me know if anything just straight up does not make any sense, because I am trying to do the whole "plot" thing. I'm rambling now, okay, moving on.   
> 3\. I'll try to post weekly at least. My writing schedule is just "whenever no one is going to bother me for an hour or more," which, despite quarantine, is a bit rare. This fic is probably gonna be medium length, because I am a sucker for slow burn and also, you know, plot.
> 
> I'll address additional things as they come up, but I have to post before I talk myself out of this, so here goes!

"Absolutely not."

"Four. Each."

"Zero."

"You are going to one of the largest cities in the Western Hemisphere, to a conference where controversial aspects of foreign policy will be discussed that affect the lives of billions. You will have bodyguards, Kenobi." Mace Windu glares intensely at Obi-Wan from his seat at the head of the table in the council chamber. The large, elegant conference room with its long central table at which Obi-Wan Kenobi and his fellow Ministers of State is usually consoling for Obi-Wan, but today he just feels somewhat cornered. 

"I can take care of myself. And so can Anakin. We go on diplomatic assignments without a security detail all the time." 

"Yes, and that always turns out _so well_!" Mace retorts sarcastically, and looks to the other ministers for support.

"Secretary Windu is right. Protection, you will have." 

"Siding with The Right Honorable Windu, Yoda? You wound me." Only Kenobi, Mace thinks, could make his honorific as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs sound like a roast.

"Two guards each for you and your protégé," Mace concedes. Obi-Wan holds his gaze for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Shaak Ti smile encouragingly at him. Obi-Wan knows when to stop pushing his luck.

"Fine."

\------------------

"So, uh, what are we doing, exactly?" Anakin Skywalker catches up to Obi-Wan after his hasty retreat from the council chamber. They are striding down the ornate hallway of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, towards the grand staircase. The red carpet muffles their footsteps, making it eerily quiet despite the number of people going about their business.

"Weren't you listening?" 

"Yeah. But I got distracted by Minister Fisto's new goatee." 

"You must learn to listen, Anakin. Most of working in foreign affairs, especially in this country is listening—no matter what facial hair is involved." Obi-Wan admonishes, but smiles despite himself at his lanky, incorrigible assistant. He's worked with Anakin a long time, and known him even longer. He considers the boy his protégé, and hopes that one day he will earn an office like Obi-Wan's—despite his attitude, he is a hard worker, and talented as well. Anakin rolls his eyes.

"If you say so, Obi-Wan. But that goatee..." 

"We are travelling to New York City to attend a conference of foreign ministers—mostly from countries that are members of NATO, though sometimes people just show up—to participate in discussions and the formation of foreign policy and panels on global issues. These debates could set the status quo for global politics for years," Obi-Wan explains.

"So basically we're gonna go listen to a bunch of stuffy diplomats complain about their governments for several days. Great."

"Basically." Obi-Wan is about as excited about this assignment as Anakin seems to be, if he's honest with himself. While Obi-Wan holds great respect for his associates in diplomacy around the world, he doesn't fancy sitting in chilly conference rooms day after day. He'd much rather be doing something more hands-on, and this sort of event was about as far removed from hands-on work as they could get. Hence his indignation regarding his co-workers' insistence that he and Anakin have a security detail. Unsavory and corrupt though some politicians could be, Obi-Wan doubts any of them want the dirt of the assassination of the Minister for the European Neighborhood and the Americas on their hands. He's not exactly famous, but saying his death would be a diplomatic incident would be somewhat of an understatement. 

He tells Anakin to meet him back at Whitehall early on Tuesday morning to be briefed on the details of their itinerary, and then heads off to prepare for the trip to New York. 

\------------------

Cody Fett's alarm pierces the silence at five o'clock on Monday morning, and it takes all of his battle-hardened willpower to keep him from stuffing his face back into the soft navy pillow and going back to sleep. His brothers had kept him up until late into the night, hollering and playing basketball with the neighbors. But he had to get up if he was going to make it to the gym before he was due at the agency at nine. 

He silences his alarm on his phone with a sigh and quickly scans his email. There was a message from his boss sent late last night informing him that he has a new assignment, and that he better be on time, or else. 

Like Cody isn't on time every day. One doesn't get to be a United States naval commander without at least a little discipline. His boss knows him better than that.

He puts on his gym clothes, grabs his gym bag, and makes his was down the hall, passing the rooms of his brothers, Rex, Gregor, Waxer, and Boil. He knows Rex will meet him at work, but the day his twin gets up before the sun will undoubtedly be the day hell freezes over. It's just as well, despite Cody's distaste for an early morning he does enjoy his solitary workout before having to deal with people all day.

A snack, phone, wallet, and keys are tossed into his bag and then he's off into the brisk Brooklyn air. It's April, but the weather hasn't quite decided to catch up with the date yet, and Cody zips up his hoodie before marching off towards the Flatbush Avenue subway station to catch the 2 train towards Manhattan.

\------------------

Cody arrives at the private security agency he works for, Kamino Security Solutions, at eight forty-five. Kamino is housed on the 21st floor of a nondescript, but clean-looking building in a sea of other nondescript, clean-looking buildings in the Financial District. He pushes through the glass doors and nods curtly at the receptionist, Lin Su, who waves, not looking up from his computer. The lobby is nearly empty, but the morning rush is imminent. Cody takes the elevator up, tosses his bag in the locker room used by him and the other security officers, and is knocking on Wullf Yularen's door by eight fifty. He supposes it would have been more polite to wait in the meeting room until nine exactly, but he didn't appreciate the jab at his punctuality in last night's email, so here he is.

His boss opens the door to his palatial, sunlit office before Cody's hand can fall back to his side. Must have been pacing, then. Despite their professionalism, Cody and Yularen have known each other for quite some time. They had served together in the Navy, along with some of Cody's brothers as well as many of the other security officers employed by Kamino Security Solutions. When Admiral Wullf Yularen had retired and Cody and the others had been honorably discharged, Yularen had entered the security business and hired Cody and his fellow soldiers. It had been a good deal for both of them. Yularen had gotten employees he knew and trusted, and Cody and his troops had gotten a stable job right out of the military. Cody knew may soldiers weren't so lucky.

"Oh, good. You're here. Have a seat. I'll make this brief, you have a few errands to run today before your assignment begins tomorrow." Is it Cody's imagination, or does his usually-unflappable boss seem a bit more flustered than usual? Reputable though Kamino Security may be, its clients were mostly celebrities with fans that got just a little too enthusiastic, or bratty rich kids who needed someone to make sure they didn't end up on the subway tracks after a night of clubbing and drugs while their snobby parents sat around drinking wine and comparing tax returns. Annoying, perhaps, but not especially intimidating. 

"Yes, sir. What's the job?" Cody sits, posture straight, hands resting on his knees at the chair in front on Yularen's stately wood desk, which faces away from the window. Cody's always wondered why, if you have a giant window overlooking the most famous city in the world, you would choose to have your desk face away from the view. Yularen walks around his desk and settles in the leather chair across from Cody.

"A security detail, consisting of you, your brother Rex, and two of your best officers, has been hired to protect a Minister of State and his assistant, visiting from London. I believe the idea is to split the four of them between them. You are to accompany them to several meetings and events where their presence is required, escort them between locations, and ensure that no one who hasn't been vetted comes into contact with them." Yularen is staring intensely at Cody as he says this. Cody just looks back.

"Are they expecting an issue?" Cody finally asks. He's not absolutely sure what a Minister of State is, but he thinks it must be some kind of government official. He thinks he can safely assume his boss doesn't mean a member of the clergy, which was what Cody's mind had first jumped to when he heard the word "minister."

"Not precisely. But one can never be too sure. This is not an assignment that can be mishandled, Cody. It would be detrimental to this agency." 

"Understood, sir."

"You are to do anything they ask."

"Yes, sir." Anything? Cody wonders.

"And you are to operate with the utmost discretion."

"Is there anything else I need to know, boss?" Cody thinks this is getting a bit old. The way Yularen is talking to him, you'd think Cody had bungled half the assignments he was given. 

"You'll be picking your charges up from the airport tomorrow. Take them directly to where they're staying. You are to wash your formal uniform and wear that. Make sure your coworkers do the same, and take the SUV to get thoroughly cleaned. I will be sending you further instructions shortly." 

"Yes, sir." 

"You are dismissed."

Cody stands and heads out of the room, bemused. He can't wait to brief the boys about this one. Rex always appreciates a bit of intrigue in his assignments. 

\------------------

Cody finds Rex in the lounge area of the office, chatting with Tup and Bly. They're all in their basic uniforms, black slacks and black short-sleeved T-shirts. His brother looks up at him and grins broadly. They are nearly identical—Cody, Rex, and their brother Gregor are triplets, with Waxer and Boil being younger twins—but Rex can be identified by his shaved blond hair, which is unique to him out of all their black-haired brothers. Cody and Gregor would be indistinguishable if not for the scar over Cody's eye. 

"Hey, Codes! What's Yularen got you doin'?" 

"What's he got us doing would be a more appropriate question," Cody replies. "Come on, let's go get some food."

Rex looks thrilled. Despite working for the same agency, he and his brother hardly ever get to work together on an assignment. He springs up from the couch he and Cody head down and out of Kamino's building, to a diner across the street. Over a spread of eggs, meats, and bread, Cody tells Rex what Yularen told him, and of their boss's general anxiety. 

"Must be someone pretty important then. Usually he doesn't bother to _remind_ us to be on our best behavior," Rex muses. 

"Guess so. If they put the fear of God into Yularen, though, I can't imagine they'll be fun to work with."

"Ah, well. Did he say how long the assignment was gonna last?"

"Nope. Hell, I don't even have the names of our charges yet. All I know is that we're picking them up at nine in the morning tomorrow." 

As if on queue, Cody's phone pings. It's an email, detailing the instructions for pickup—they are meeting their charges at a private airstrip on the grounds of JFK tomorrow morning, and taking them to an unfamiliar location—not a hotel, as Cody had thought—in the Upper East Side. There's no time frame for the job, but there are two names listed—Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi Minister for European Neighborhood & the Americas, and Mr. Anakin Skywalker. Cody balks a little at the title. He forwards the email to Rex. 

"Obi-Wan Kenobi? That rings a bell. Hang on..." there are a few moments of silence as Cody and Rex do some quick Google recon.

Between the two of them, the brothers dredge up an impressive number of references, across many news articles and Wikipedia pages, to a Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi and a few to a Mr. Skywalker. It isn't hard, the Minister has a Wikipedia page all to himself. Cody and Rex learn that their clients are essentially a very high-ranking diplomat and his assistant, in charge of foreign affairs with Europe, as well as government policy with the Americas, European defense and security, migration, as well as many other responsibilities. The Minister was knighted back in 2015 by the Queen of England for some unspecified humanitarian work. 

One article tells them that Sir Kenobi and Skywalker were present at a deadly terrorist attack in Geneva a few years back, but not many details are given—only that Kenobi had sustained minor injuries, Skywalker had been sent to the hospital, and that the bomber had been apprehended almost immediately by local authorities. At the top of the article, there is a picture of a large courthouse-like building burning spectacularly, with emergency vehicles and first responders swarming the scene, and another quite grainy image of the Minister and Skywalker. They looked younger than Cody would have thought, given their extensive resume, especially Skywalker, who looked like he could be a teenager. 

"That's weird," says Rex. "You'd think there'd be more information available about something that high profile." Cody hums in agreement. 

On Sir Kenobi's personal Wikipedia page, Cody and Rex find very little personal information, aside from the fact that he's a Baron, unmarried, born on November 2nd, and thirty-three years old—only a couple years older than Cody and his brothers. He studied English and International Relations at Oxford and went straight into the British government, where he was a diplomat, and then an ambassador, before being promoted to his current office. There are notes on his involvement in humanitarian relief efforts, human rights activism, and numerous diplomatic incidents where he managed to negotiate peaceful resolutions to conflicts—it's no wonder he was promoted. There's a strangely washed-out official portrait of him at the top of the page. He looks tense, Cody thinks, but there's something soft in his pale grey-blue eyes. His auburn hair is slightly floppy, but immaculately arranged on his head, and he has a neatly trimmed beard that strikes Cody as very un-politician-like. 

"Well," Rex says, "if their lives are anywhere near as exciting as the internet would have us believe, we won't be bored." 

"That'll be a nice change, though politicians are usually pretty insufferable." Cody doesn't want to get his hopes up. Odds are, nothing will happen and he and his coworkers will mostly be ignored, like usual. 

"This Kenobi can't be _that_ bad, if he's such a good negotiator." Rex muses. Cody just shrugs.

"We should get going, if we're gonna run all of the boss's errands. We really have to go get our uniforms _dry-cleaned_? I don't think I've ever even _been_ to a dry cleaner." 

"I guess he's just worried about making a good impression," Cody considers. "His attitude does make a little more sense now. We don't get a lot of political clients." 

Cody and Rex pay and exit the diner, discussing which of the other otherwise-unoccupied security officers would be best suited to join in the assignment. They eventually agree that Rex will take Wolffe and focus on Skywalker; Cody and Fives will primarily work with Kenobi. The four of them have always worked together well, in the navy and now in the private sector as well. 

\------------------

Tuesday morning sees a groggy Anakin and a tranquil Obi-Wan one hour into their eight hour flight to New York City. 

"How are you so normal? It's six in the morning." Anakin is spread out across three squishy chairs in the government-owned private jet, no less than four paper coffee cups resting on little table between him and Obi-Wan, along with a little potted jade plant that Obi-Wan hadn't been able to bear leaving home alone for over a week. Its glossy green leaves seemed to sparkle happily at him in the sun, and he was glad he brought it along.

"I go to sleep before midnight, Anakin, it's not hard," Obi-Wan quips. 

"I'm gonna take a nap."

"What, you don't want to read through the guest list and conference schedule with me?"

" _Absolutely not_. Anyway, I skimmed them last night." Obi-Wan snorts, rifling through some paper files. He has most of this information on his laptop, but he prefers to read from paper when he can—he's already earned himself reading glasses before forty by studying late into the night at Oxford. He doesn't need any more eye strain. 

"Shall I wake you up if the steward brings by snacks?" Obi-Wan offers with a grin.

Anakin ignores him, crosses his arms over his dark button-up shirt, and is fast asleep within moments. 

Obi-Wan peruses the extensive guest list, seeing who he recognizes. His name is near the top of the list, as one of the only representatives from a major world power, along with the British Ambassador to the United States, Plo Koon, who was travelling to New York from his usual residence in the British embassy in Washington for the conference. Ambassador Koon was an old friend—he and Obi-Wan had gone to Oxford together, and shared many classes together as students both on a political track and an interest in literature. Plo had a beautiful apartment (he said apartment, it was really a whole floor of apartments) in the Upper East Side that he shared with his adopted daughter Ahsoka Tano, who was studying engineering at NYU. His friend had graciously offered to host them during the conference so as to save them the discomfort of a crowded New York hotel, and Obi-Wan had jumped at the opportunity to visit his friend in a non-work-related setting and to see little Ahsoka again, who'd been in high school the last time he'd seen her. Ahsoka would be excited to see Anakin again too—the two got on like a house on fire. If nothing else, that aspect of the trip redeemed the insipidity of the conference. 

Obi-Wan continued down the list. United States Senator Padmé Amidala would also be there—Anakin must not have noticed yet, or Obi-Wan would have heard about it. The boy had been smitten with the young senator since she visited London last year on diplomatic business. Anakin had taken it upon himself to show her around London, and Obi-Wan was pretty sure they had stayed in touch after she'd returned to the states. Obi-Wan greatly respected her as a leader, she'd won her election by a landslide and was always willing to stand up for what she thought was right. Unfortunately, those are rare character traits in a politician. 

He recognized several other names on the list, some he'd met before, some he hadn't, some he liked, some he definitely did not. He shudders slightly as he reads the name Maul Opress—the French Ambassador had always given him the creeps. Nothing specific had ever happened between them, but their politics were quite different and Obi-Wan had always gotten the vague sense that Opress hated him. Perhaps he was overthinking it. He did have a tendency to do that. 

Looking through the panel discussions, he saw many he would be expected to attend. There were several debates and more informal meetings as well. About a third of the way though the conference, on Saturday, there was a large gala at the Museum of Modern Art. Maybe he'd be able to sneak his way into the galleries for a private viewing when he inevitably got tired of networking. He wondered if the Van Gogh portrait Anakin had mocked him for resembling when he'd first grown out his beard was still there. 

They are about three hours outside New York when Anakin begins to stir. Obi-Wan's assistant has been contorted into a strange sleeping position for quite a while now.

"Sleep well?" Obi-Wan asks innocently.

"Nrrgghh," Anakin grumbles, sitting up and rubbing his shoulders with a pained expression.

Obi-Wan smirks and puts the documents aside, before spotting another folder that had fallen out of the stack and onto the floor. He picks it up and opens it to find four information sheets, each with a mugshot-like image of the individual in question. These must be their bodyguards, Obi-Wan thinks. He scans each page. All four ex-military, which is pretty standard for a security detail. He does a double take, however, when he takes a closer look at two of the images—they're the same person! He holds them up next to each other. Twins. _Cody Fett and Rex Fett_ , their info sheets tell him. Now, he sees that the latter Fett's hair is lighter, though shaved closely, and his twin's hair is slightly longer and black. Cody Fett has an oddly-shaped scar over his eye. Otherwise, their faces are nearly identical, with their olive complexions and dark irises. Looking over their sheets, he sees nearly identical military records, with the exception that Cody was promoted to Commander and his brother only made it to the rank of Lieutenant before they were discharged. The other two security officers have slightly shorter resumes, but seem just as competent. There's Wolffe Rau, an ebony-skinned man with a wide face and shoulder-length black hair, and Fives Vizsla, a pale, stern-looking woman with straight brown hair in a tidy bob. She has a tiny tattoo on the left side of her forehead, almost at her hairline, of a number five. Obi-Wan can't imagine forgetting her name. 

Obi-Wan takes several minutes to commit the names to memory and study the pictures. These officers are likely to be quite bored for the next few weeks, so he might as well learn their names and make it a pleasant experience for them. Then he passes the folder to Anakin.

"Those our babysitters?" Anakin grumbles. "Hey, twins! Cool!" Obi-Wan considers instructing Anakin not to make a big deal out of it, but surely his assistant will know to be polite to these relative strangers. Obi-Wan looks out the little window of the jet and watches little puffy clouds drift by. They should be landing soon, and it will still be morning in New York City, despite it being early afternoon back home. Obi-Wan thinks he will be needing no small amount of coffee to get him through the rest of this day.


	2. Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Rex meet lots of new people. Obi-Wan is charming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I don't have much to say other than normally I won't post chapters this close together, I just had this one mostly planned out already. Also, I forgot to mention before—everyone's ages are just whatever I need them to be for things to make sense, so if people's proportionate ages are a bit off from canon that's just me exercising my rights as someone who's writing an AU fic. Anyway. Chapter two!

Cody trudges through his morning routine on Tuesday with Rex in tow. He has to forgo the gym today, much to his displeasure, in favor of waking up an hour later with Rex so they can both take the car to the airport. Cody's instructions inform him that only He and Rex need to be present at the pick up, which is merciful, as it saves Cody having to drive all over Brooklyn picking up Wolffe and Fives in the morning traffic. In the future, they'll all meet in Manhattan where Sir Kenobi and Skywalker are staying.

It's the first morning in a while where Cody's been around late enough to have breakfast with his brothers. He, Rex, and Gregor can take out a whole pot of coffee in minutes, and the second pot is percolating when the twins wander in to the tiny kitchen and plop down at the table by the window, rubbing sleep from their eyes. There's a large pan of eggs frying on the stove, courtesy of Gregor, and toast in the toaster. His brother is an excellent cook—Gregor hadn't served with Cody and Rex in the military, which turned out to be a good thing, as he'd been the only one around to look after the twins when Jango Fett, their father, abruptly left them to fend for themselves about eight years ago. Not that he'd ever been around _that_ much, but he'd at least lived with them until a couple years after Cody and Rex went into the military. Now that the twins are out of high school, Gregor works happily at a small Italian restaurant down the street, sometimes as a cook, sometimes as a waiter when they were short-staffed. 

"You're looking snazzy, Codes!" Waxer calls from the table as soon as he's awake enough to process what's going on around him. "Got a hot date?" He giggles to himself, and Boil joins in.

"Our brother doesn't go on _dates_ ," Boil teases. 

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Cody frowns with mock indignation. They're all so used to poking fun at each other, it doesn't even occur to him to be insulted. And anyway, they're right— _Cody_ doesn't even remember the last time he went on a date. 

"What, do I not look snazzy too?" Rex interjects from his spot on the kitchen counter. They are, of course, dressed identically, in their freshly dry-cleaned black suits and white shirts. Both brothers made an executive decision not to wear ties for the sake of comfort. If his boss has a problem with it, Cody thinks, he can say that if they were to be attacked, it would be difficult for him to fight with a tie flapping around. He's capable, but he's not James Bond.

The younger twins snicker as they go to grab their coffee, toast, and eggs, dodging around Gregor in the cramped space. Cody has always admired their optimism. Ever since their father left, leaving the older brothers to care for the twins, Waxer and Boil had been nothing but cooperative as the little Fett tribe established itself. They had only been kids, and it can't have been easy going through adolescence without a real adult around. But Cody, Rex, and Gregor had done their best, and now the twins had jobs of their own—there hadn't been nearly enough money for college, though Cody had always thought Waxer especially would have been happy to continue his education. He'd loved history in school. He used to come home and tell his brothers all about what he learned in his lessons about ancient Greece and Rome, great revolutions (he'd spend weeks working on a model guillotine that still stood in the corner of his room), inventions, and all sorts of other things. Maybe one day they'd have enough expendable income to make something happen, but five brothers in one house when everyone has blue-collar jobs is a strain no matter how responsible everyone was. Boil, on the other hand, is happiest on the basketball court—they share a yard and a mini court with their neighbors, the Wrens, and every evening after their shifts at the local hardware store, the twins (and sometimes Rex) dart out back to challenge Sabine and Tristan Wren to a game. 

Cody holds his toast out on a plate and Gregor flips an egg neatly onto it. 

"Eat up, you two will need to be leaving soon if you're aiming to beat the traffic. Don't want to start a diplomatic incident by being late." Gregor jokes. 

"Yeah, yeah." Cody smiles. He hopes their charges won't be too difficult, since it seems they'll be spending at least a week together. 

"I can't believe you get to meet a _real_ British Minister of State!" Waxer says. He'd been quite excited that they were guarding someone of political importance when Cody and Rex had told them about their assignment over a game of cards last night. 

"As opposed to a fake one?" Boil quips.

"Junior Ministers sometimes get to go to cabinet meetings with the Prime Minister. You should ask him if he's met the Prime Minister," Waxer continues, ignoring his brother. 

"I'm sure he has. I'm not asking him that. We probably won't be talking much at all, he'll be busy." Cody says, so as not to get Waxer's hopes up.

"I'll ask him for ya, Waxer—not everybody's hung up on professionalism around here," says Rex, shooting a mischievous look at Cody. Cody just eats his toast and hopes he's not about to be embarrassed by his brother. 

\------------------

When Cody and Rex arrive at the private airstrip reserved for small planes in the freshly-washed black SUV, they are told to pull up onto the asphalt to the side of the runway. Cody has done this before, but the lack of road lines always makes him profoundly uncomfortable. He put the car in park. He and Rex got out to stand by the car, ready to snap to attention. 

They're a few minutes early—the orange vested man who'd directed them had informed them that "his Excellency, the Minister's" plane was running fifteen minutes late due to turbulence. 

It only occurred to him then to wonder how he was supposed to address their two charges. He supposed "Mr. Skywalker" would suffice for Anakin Skywalker, but the Minister had so many titles that Cody wasn't sure what would be appropriate. Surely he wouldn't want to be called "His Excellency, Sir Kenobi, Minister for the European Neighborhood and the Americas" _all the time_? And wasn't he also a Baron? How did _that_ work? He was just about to turn to his brother to ask what his thoughts were on the matter when he saw a bright red motorcycle speeding towards them at an alarming rate. 

"Uh..." Rex had seen it too and they stood there watching the motorcycle and its rider grow larger by the second. The roar of the engine was deafening and then the biker was nearly at them; then, there was a tremendous screech of tires on asphalt as the motorcycle careened into a perfectly executed drift and stopped abruptly in front of the car. 

The brothers looked at one another and then at the biker. She slid easily off the bike's leather seat. She was wearing dark jeans with an embroidered diamond pattern and a leather jacket. Caramel-colored fingers fiddled with the strap of her helmet before pulling it off, revealing the face of a young woman, probably around the same age as Waxer and Boil. She had large, expressive eyes, full lips painted with dark lipstick, and a shock of asymmetrical blue hair that stuck up in many directions. She fixed them with an inquisitive look for a second before grinning at them. 

"Hello, boys! You here for Ani and Obi too?" 

"Are you, uh, supposed to be here?" Cody manages, disoriented by the turn this formal pickup was taking. His brain is also a bit stuck on the use of a nickname for an important government official.

"Cool bike, dude!" Rex seems to have recovered much faster than Cody. He's always been the more flexible of the two brothers. 

"Thank you! I built it myself. With some help from some school friends. I'm Ahsoka. And yes, I am supposed to be here. Or rather, no one told me I wasn't allowed. I'm a friend. Ani and Obi are staying with my dad and I, and I wanted to come greet them. What are your names? I guess you're security," the woman, Ahsoka, explains excitedly. Cody vaguely recalls his boss's warning him to not allow strangers to come near the Minister, but he's pretty sure their charges wouldn't take kindly to their bodyguards evicting their friends from the airport. Even if those friends were unannounced.

"I'm Rex Fett, ma'am," his brother is saying. "And the cranky one is my brother Cody." 

"Nice to meet you two! Please, never call me ma'am. Just Ahsoka." 

"Okay, Just Ahsoka," Rex replies with a grin. Cody rolls his eyes. He can smell the friendship brewing from a mile away. 

Rex asks Ahsoka a few questions about her bike, and Ahsoka seems overjoyed to have an excuse to gush about it. Cody just listens, one eye on the sky. 

Ten minutes pass before he spots a plane coming in for a landing. It's about half the size of a normal passenger plane, and Cody can make out the British Airways logo as the craft touches down. As it decelerates and comes around towards them, Rex returns to Cody's side. Ahsoka is rocking back and forth on her heels, grinning.

The plane comes to a stop and someone unfolds the stairs, a flight attendant, who then retreats into the plane. Anakin Skywalker is the first to exit. He's quite tall, and has to duck his head of shaggy, dark brown hair quite far to pass under the low door frame. Cody had thought he was a teenager from the pictures he'd seen, but seeing him now he figures Skywalker must be only a few years younger than him. He's just so wiry, giving him the appearance of a boy who's just gone through a growth spurt. His youthful appearance is offest slightly by his high cheekbones and heavy, slightly furrowed brow. As he gets closer, Cody notices a scar at the corner of his eye, not twisty like Cody's, but a pin-straight vertical gash. He's pulling a black suitcase behind him, and the flight attendant appears behind him with another case. 

"Ani!" Ahsoka cries, sprinting up to her friend and leaping several feet into the air to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Hey, snips!" Skywalker laughs. 

"I missed you! You haven't come to see us in _forever_." 

"I've missed you too—I have _loads_ of office gossip to fill you in on. Obi-Wan just doesn't seem to appreciate the drama like you do."

As the two chatter, Cody opens the trunk and the flight attendant loads the suitcases into the trunk. When he looks back, another man has descended the stairs and is striding towards Ahsoka and Skywalker. 

Cody's first, rather disconcerting thought is that Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi's official portrait on his Wikipedia page decidedly does _not_ do him justice. He's short—not ridiculously so, but he's shorter than Cody, and Cody is an average height. The sun reflects off his coppery hair, reminding Cody of a brand-new penny. His eyes, which look more blue in person, glint cheerfully, and his cheeks are faintly pink. He's wearing a suit in a somewhat unflattering tan color and a long, dark brown trench coat; he has a leather briefcase in one hand and a small plant with deep green, oblong leaves planted in a pale blue pot in the other. The overall effect is alarmingly _cute_. Cody takes that thought and beats it into a dark corner of his mind.

He's now very thankful that Ahsoka turned up, as the three have been too distracted to notice him examining them, but he's not so lucky with Rex. He must have an expression on his face that gives away his thoughts, because Rex is smirking knowingly at him. Cody's eyes wander, trying to find something to focus on that isn't a person. 

Finally, the attention of the three turns to them. Cody is a battle-hardened soldier, so why is he having to fight with himself to keep from shuffling his feet nervously?

"Cody and Rex Fett, yes? Do forgive us, I'm afraid you're in for a rather dull week. Unless you have an interest in the minutiae of trade agreements, these conferences do not see much excitement." The Minister's voice is clear but soft and friendly. And quite British.

"Yes, Mr. Minister...uh, Sir Kenobi, sir. And that's okay, makes our job easier if you're not getting into trouble. Uh. Sir." Cody thinks it would be awesome if he could vaporize on the spot. He can _sense_ his brother's mirth beside him. 

To his credit, the Minister seems to take Cody's complete vocal malfunction in stride. 

"Glad to hear it, Cody. And you can just call me Obi-Wan. Or 'sir,' if you must. I'm not especially concerned with titles." He says with a little breath of laughter which makes his eyes crinkle. Cody is beginning to think there might be a problem here. 

"Yes, sir." That was better. 

"I'm Anakin!" Says Anakin. Cody hears a long-suppressed laugh escape Rex.

\------------------

Obi-Wan hops into the back of the large black SUV with Anakin, while the guards—Cody and Rex—take the front. Ahsoka speeds off on her motorcycle, and is at the road before the car has even started moving. He makes a mental note to ask Plo how many speeding tickets she's accumulated. 

As they head towards Ahsoka and Plo's residence in the Upper East Side, Obi-Wan looks out of the dark-tinted windows to catch glimpses of the city. New York is like London in a lot of ways. You can find a little bit of everything in either place, and they are both in many ways the cultural epicenter of their respective countries. New York has always struck Obi-Wan as the younger and grungier of the pair. He's fond of it, though—he definitely likes it better than visiting Washington. 

"Does Quinlan Vos still live here?" Anakin's looking at him with amusement. "Do you remember that time when he dragged us to see _Cats_ on Broadway and—"

"Oh, God, don't remind me." Obi-Wan cuts him off, head falling into his hands in embarrassment. Not that he'd done anything. "That was the longest night of my life." Anakin cackles softly.

"No, wait, I wanna hear!" A voice calls from the front. Presumably Rex, as the blond-haired twin seemed to be the more informal of the two. Obi-Wan had to admit, Cody's floundering had been a little bit charming. It was hard to reconcile the tough, scarred face with the social awkwardness of his introduction. Obi-Wan chalked it up to the two having never worked with anyone with his rank before, particularly not from another country. He doubted many Americans even knew what his position was—not that they needed to.

"Suffice it to say," Obi-Wan elects to humor Rex. "It involved an...acquaintance of ours attending the show in costume, an entire bottle of gin, a tin of sardines, and a few _actual_ cats." If anything, the abbreviated version makes Anakin laugh harder. Perhaps the idea of them getting up to some normal—well, not political, at least—shenanigans will put the other brother at ease. He glances into the rear view mirror from the back seat and briefly catches Cody's dark eyes as he's driving, and he's satisfied to see a smile in them. It's a start.

\------------------

The weekday traffic is bad, and it's nearly noon by the time they're pulling in front of the elegant building which contains the flat where they'll be staying. It's only a block East from Central Park. Obi-Wan hopes he'll have enough down time to go for a walk, perhaps even meditate on the large climbing boulders like he did one of the last times he was here. He reaches for the car door handle just at it opens for him.

"Need me to carry anything, sir?" Cody asks expectantly. Anakin and Rex are already unloading the luggage.

"Would you mind holding Oberon?" Obi-Wan holds out the little plant he'd held in his lap during the car ride. 

"It would be my honor." Cody accepts the plant, and Obi-Wan is about to say that Cody really need not be so formal when he catches the little smirk and realizes that the other man is kidding. Obi-Wan feels his cheeks heat up a little.

"Hello again!" Ahsoka is standing near the entrance of the building, with an expressionless doorman. She seems like she's been here a while already. Obi-Wan can picture her bobbing and weaving recklessly in and out of traffic. 

The five make their way inside, Ahsoka leading the way, with Cody and Rex trailing behind Obi-Wan and Anakin. They pass through the lobby to the elevators. Ahsoka holds the door and then presses the button for the top floor. Plo Koon's flat is the only one on the floor, so Ahsoka has to swipe a little card to get the elevator to take them up. 

The flat is quite beautiful, sunlit and modern, and the large West-facing windows offer an excellent view of the park. Obi-Wan thinks he could sit and watch all day. Plo sits on the sofa, and stands when the elevator dings. He's a thin bald man, and he wears his dark spectacles all the time. He's not blind, but has been highly light sensitive for as long as Obi-Wan can remember. Before he'd begun wearing the glasses, he'd had to miss their classes at Oxford due to migraines on a far too regular basis. The glasses had the added effect of making Plo look cool and mysterious, according to Anakin.

"Good to see you, my friends! I trust your travels were peaceful?" Plo strides up to them to shake Anakin's hand and give Obi-Wan a one-armed hug. 

"Oh yes, of course! It's very kind of you to let us stay here."

"It's nothing, Obi-Wan. Ahsoka and I are happy to have the company."

After a moment of pleasantries, he accepts his luggage from Rex—and Oberon, the plant, from Cody, who seems to be quite entertained by the glamorous flat—and confirms that they'll be back tomorrow at nine to escort them to the first day of the conference. With that, the two make their way back downstairs. Obi-Wan and Anakin begin to settle in for a nice evening of catching up with their old friends before they all have to be stuck at the conference all day.

\------------------

Cody and Rex park the SUV in a nearby underground deck and make their way home to Brooklyn on the subway. 

"They seemed pretty nice." Cody finally says, after a few stops in companionable silence. Apparently, that was the opening his brother had been waiting for. 

"' _Pretty nice_ '? You looked like you were going to swoon when Kenobi introduced himself."

"That's absurd. He just caught me off guard, is all." 

"Oh, he's caught you, all right."

"Shut up. Fine, he's cute, for a politician. Whatever."

Rex just laughs and continues to smirk at Cody all the way home. Cody thinks this is going to be a very long week.


	3. Day One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maul canonically has a dart board in his office at the French Embassy with Obi-Wan's face pasted in the center that he throws knives at. You know, like a crazy person. Cody gets his first glimpse into Obi-Wan's rather chaotic life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I would like to take a moment to say that I love every single person who's left comments and kudos on this fic. Every single one. I hope you all have wonderful days and find a ten dollar bill in your coat pocket or something.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is a little slow, there's a lot of set-up. I was gonna post earlier and start working on the next chapter, but then I had to be on the phone with cellular service companies for six hours today and if that doesn't take the creative spirit out of you, I don't think anything will. 
> 
> Enjoy!

French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Maul Opress, stood at the window of his hotel room Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, watching the traffic filter by on the street far below. His menacing, yellowish-brown eyes then drifted once again to the file on his nemesis resting on the dresser nearby. Just looking at it made his fists clench. All his talk of _peace_ and _tolerance_ and _equity_ were detrimental to Maul's long-term plans for Europe. With him gone, there would be no one left in the UK who was incorruptible, or outspoken enough to be a threat. Politicians were usually so _susceptible_ to his influence.

Maul was virtually unknown to his nemesis, making it all the more easy to orchestrate his downfall. He'd failed in the past—alas, his poor brother Savage had taken the fall for that mishap in Geneva all those years ago—but he would not fail again. 

The plans were in place. He was in position to strike. Before this idiotic conference was over, Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi would be dead.

\------------------

Tuesday evening found Cody, Rex, Waxer, and Boil in the living room waiting for Gregor to bring food home from the restaurant. The twins were grilling their older brothers about their first impressions of their new high-ranking friends. 

"Were they nice?"

"Did they get you two confused?" 

"Had they met the Prime Minister?"

"Had they met the _Queen_?"

"Did they say anything about tea or crumpets?"

"Did they have British accents?" Boil asks in a British accent so atrocious that Cody and Rex both wince.

"Yes, no, I didn't ask, I didn't ask that either—but Kenobi's been knighted—so maybe, no, and yes." Cody rattles off, with the practiced ease of someone who has been interrogated by their younger siblings about everything they did for years. 

"We promise to keep you updates as the situation develops, boys," Rex intones with mock-formality, causing both twins to snicker childishly. 

"Had anyone ever tried to assassinate them for political reasons?" Waxer isn't out of questions yet, apparently. 

"No," Cody says, though he isn't actually sure—he recalls the article that he and Rex had read yesterday. Maybe that attack hadn't been random. "But we didn't really talk that much, so I'm not sure." 

"No, we didn't—Cody mostly just ogled the Minister." Cody had hoped that Rex would spare him, but his brother has always been somewhat ruthless. 

" _Wait, what!?_ " It's bad when the twins are in sync. 

"You heard me."

"Cody has a _crush_ on a British politician? On a person _knighted_ by the _Queen_?" Waxer is beside himself. Boil immediately picks up his phone. 

"I don't have a crush on him, I've only known him for half a day. He's just kinda cute." Cody attempts to salvage the situation. But it's too late, and Boil is already internet-stalking the Minister. 

"A Baron! Unmarried—good news, Cody! Oh, he _is_ handsome. I don't blame you. What's this—a fencing champion, too? You could challenge him to a duel!" 

"Don't be ridiculous, Boil—I don't know anything about fencing."

"Yeah, but you can, you know, punch things."

"I don't think that's how that works..." Cody trails off, because Boil has just texted him an article from only a few years ago, headed by a picture of Kenobi in fencing gear, holding a foil, with one of those funny mask things fencers wear under his arm. He has a self-satisfied grin on his face. Cody clicks on the article and finds a video, along with some text. 

_Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi soundly defeated his opponent in the 2017 British Fencing Championship, taking home the trophy for the fifth year in a row. The talented diplomat was unavailable for comment, but his assistant, Mr. Anakin Skywalker, says that Sir Kenobi took up the sport in grade school and spends much of his free time training..._

The article gushes on for several paragraphs about the Minister's fencing career. Cody leaves the article open so he can watch the video later, when he's not surrounded by inquisitive brothers. 

"Food's here!" Gregor calls from the door. Cody doesn't think he's ever been so relieved to hear his brother's voice. At the word "food," his brothers are up and in the kitchen within seconds, Cody's depressing crush—no, not a crush, it's really not—forgotten. 

Later that night, Cody settles down to sleep and revisits the article. The video is only thirty seconds long, showing the end of the match. Kenobi and his opponent—Cody isn't quite sure which is which till the end of the video because of the masks—move in and out of range of each other's foils, their movements quick and agile. He lets the video play again. It's like some sort of strange, contact-less dance. Cody wonders absently if Kenobi is a good dancer, too, before rejecting that train of thought as too dangerous to continue down. He closes the article and then his eyes, but it's a while before he can fall asleep.

\------------------

Obi-Wan wakes up early Wednesday morning to a pair of large, green eyes staring intensely at him from the pillow next to his on the queen-sized bed. 

"Good morning, Binks," he yawns at the tabby cat, who flicks his tail slightly at the mention of his name, and then looks away. Obi-Wan rolls out of bed and dresses for a quick jog around the park. He's always been an early riser—he has at least an hour before the rest of the house is awake, maybe another two before Anakin stirs. He stretches and laces up his trainers before retrieving a little water from the kitchen for Oberon, whose leaves seem to shine in a slightly brighter emerald in thanks. After some deliberation, he moves the plant from the bedside table to the windowsill so he can have a little more light. 

Central Park is quiet this early in the morning, but Obi-Wan is by no means alone. New Yorkers do love their parks. Most of the people he sees are running, like himself, squeezing in a little exercise before the long workday begins. Obi-Wan thinks, not for the first time, that his life would be a lot simpler if he'd never been promoted to a Minister of State. He supposes he just has to make the most of it, and do what he can to help people, but he misses the days when his work life didn't consume his recreational time. He misses fencing most of all. He still trained when he could, and kept himself in shape, but it wasn't the same as when he used to compete, before he got this job. It hadn't just been fencing, either—at uni, he'd had quite the martial arts resume. Obi-Wan wasn't ungrateful, though. As his mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn, used to say, he must keep his concentration here and now, where it belongs.

Towards the end of his loop, he comes back upon the iconic Central Park boulders. He climbs gracefully up to the highest one available, and settles down to meditate for a while. 

\------------------

By the time Obi-Wan is showered and dressed for the day, Ahsoka has chocolate chip pancakes flipping on the stove. 

"Dad was gonna do it," she explains, "but he never puts enough chocolate chips in."

"Surely that's a criminal offense," Obi-Wan replies seriously. 

"What can I say, he's always been a delinquent," Obi-Wan and Ahsoka look over at Plo, who's in his soft armchair reading the newspaper and daintily drinking his coffee, the picture of propriety. They look back at each other and Obi-Wan can't keep a straight face.

"I'm going to go toss pancakes at Anakin until he gets his lazy butt out of bed. It's already eight." Ahsoka wanders off with a giggle, leaving Obi-Wan to man the pancake griddle in her absence. 

"I'm up! I'm up! What is that? Stop doing that!" Anakin's muffled voice is audible from one of the guest bedrooms. Obi-Wan chuckles. He missed having Ahsoka around to give Anakin a run for his money in the mischief department. 

A few minutes later, Anakin and Ahsoka reemerge, Anakin looking sour, Ahsoka downright gleeful. 

"You've got a little bit of chocolate in your hair." Obi-Wan comments with a grin.

"No I don't. I checked. You guys are _bullying_ me."

There's still some time before the guards are due to pick them up once everyone is fed and filled with coffee. Obi-Wan wonders if Cody, Rex, and their other two colleagues will need any more caffeine—he knows it's a time-consuming haul from Brooklyn, and feels somewhat bad that they have to be here so early. Not everyone is a morning person like Obi-Wan.

"Do you have any paper cups?" Obi-Wan inquires. "I'd like to take some coffee to our new friends."

"Of course," Plo stands and makes his way to the pantry, producing a stack of cups with matching lids.

"Oh great, that poor dude's gonna be even _more_ in love with you now," Anakin says with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?" Obi-Wan asks, genuinely confused.

"You didn't noti—you know what, never mind. You can work that one out for yourself."

Obi-Wan just looks at him, bemused. At that moment, the doorbell chimes.

"Alright, let's go! Are you joining us, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Hell no, I'm not gonna listen to you old people talk about _policies_ and shit all day," Ahsoka responds vehemently. "I'm gonna play games and blast music so loud that the neighbors complain. Have fun, you guys!"

"Damn, that sounds like more fun," Anakin mutters. 

\------------------

Cody, Rex, and Fives wait outside for their charges to come down. Wolffe is seated on a black motorbike behind the SUV, tapping his foot impatiently. Wolffe has a hard time sitting still. They're all ready for a full day of duty—Rex had even talked him into wearing his earpiece so they could communicate without texting, "you know, like the Secret Service," as Rex said.

"You said these guys seemed pretty nice, yeah?" Fives asks in her husky voice, looking far more comfortable in her more formal security uniform than Cody felt in his.

"Yeah, they're alright."

Cody is stopped from elaborating by the arrival of Kenobi, Skywalker, and—what was the other guy's name? Plo Koon? Cody supposes he'll be riding with them, which is no problem—there's a third row in the van. Kenobi and Skywalker are each carrying two paper cups of coffee. The Minister is wearing the same tan suit he was wearing yesterday, but with a deep green tie that compliments the red of his hair. Cody is pretty sure Skywalker is wearing the _exact_ same thing he was wearing yesterday—it looks like the same black collared shirt and dark brown pants. Maybe that's all he ever wears. 

"Good morning, all! So sorry to drag you all up here in the morning, I'm sure you'd rather be sleeping in," Kenobi smiles at them, and passes them the coffees. Cody accepts his coffee graciously. 

"It's no trouble. Codes is up with the chickens every day anyway. Thank you for the coffee, sir!" Rex grins, and looks over at Wolffe on his bike. 

"We'll keep yours up here till we get there, okay, Wolffe?" Wolffe gives Rex a mute thumbs-up, and salutes Kenobi, who waves cheerfully back. 

"And you're Fives, yes? Nice to meet you! You can call me Obi-Wan—though your coworkers seem quite committed to calling me 'sir'—and these two are Anakin and Plo."

Fives bows her head. "You're already better than most of our clients for bringing us coffee, sir. You have my undying loyalty." Obi-Wan chuckles warmly, and Cody's chest feels like it's been filled with moths. Kenobi turns to him. 

"I hope you don't mind if Plo rides with us?"

"Not at all, sir." Cody smiles, irrationally hoping his face isn't doing anything stupid.

They all clamber in the car, with Anakin and Rex in the very back and Fives in the passenger's seat next to Cody, who sets the GPS and pulls into the street. He sips his coffee as he weaves through traffic. It's _really good_ coffee. 

The venue is far south, on Liberty Street near the World Trade Center. When Cody pulls up in front of the stately building, a valet stops him and everyone piles out of the car. Cody gratefully forfeits the keys—he really didn't want to have to park down here—and joins the others, who are already to the front door. There seems to be very little press around, which Cody is thankful for, but the place is _packed_. Cody is accosted by a barrage of background chatter in more languages than he can identify. Sensing the possibility of the group losing each other in the crowd, he gestures to Rex and Wolffe to stick with Skywalker and summons Fives, intending to fall into step behind Kenobi. Cody has no idea what Kenobi's itinerary is—he knows the Minister is expected at several different panels and meetings, but he wasn't given that much more information than that. He'll just have to go with the flow, then. He can do that. 

It turns out that Sir Kenobi is quite popular. As they make their way through the venue—Cody thinks they're headed for a meeting room across the hall, just based on their general trajectory—they're stopped about every ten steps by someone who wants to greet the Minister. Kenobi greets each and every one with just as much enthusiasm. He switches between languages with practiced ease—French, Spanish, German, and Arabic are the only ones Cody can identify. He glances at Fives, who has one perfectly penciled eyebrow raised. She mouths a subtle 'wow' at him, and Cody can't help but nod emphatically. Aside from the languages, Kenobi seems to know the names of _every single person_ who comes up to him. Cody can't always keep people's names straight in normal circumstances, let alone in this kind of chaos. He supposes it's just part of the job. 

Anakin reappears after vanishing with Rex and Wolffe for a while—Plo is long gone, having drifted serenely away almost as soon as they entered the building. Anakin is pulling along a pretty young woman with an incredible amount of wavy brown hair who is wearing a purple pencil skirt and a matching blazer who Cody has a vague memory of seeing on TV. 

"Obi-Wan, look! I found Padmé!" Anakin is smiling wider than Cody has ever seen him smile. 

"So you did. Greetings, Senator Amidala—I do hope Anakin didn't drag you away from anything too important." Kenobi gives the Senator a more genuine smile than he'd been giving his fans a moment ago. If Cody weren't so distracted by the Minister's general existence, he'd probably have been more caught off guard by the fact that he was meeting a real United States Senator for the first time.

"Not at all, Minister Kenobi—he just rescued me from the Secretary of the Treasury."

"What's Rush Clovis doing here? He's not exactly dealing with foreign affairs in that department, unless my understanding of the United States government is woefully out of date."

"I think he just followed me, unfortunately."

"Oh, dear," Kenobi looks genuinely concerned on the Senator's behalf. "Do be careful, Padmé—you may stick with us and our many guards for today, if you wish. I'm sure Anakin would be beside himself with joy." Padmé smiles sweetly at all of them. Anakin does seem quite engrossed, hanging on to every word the Senator says, his eyes never leaving her face. Cody looks past him to exchange a quick glance with his brother, who just seems entertained by the spectacle of it all. Cody thinks their posse is growing at a rather alarming rate.

"In the meantime," Kenobi continues. "We must be getting to the immigration panel." He looks to Cody and smiles, gesturing with a nod of his head that makes his coppery hair shift slightly, then strides off to the meeting room they'd been heading for, Cody and Fives following dutifully after him. 

The smaller meeting room has several rows of chairs, mostly filled already, with press in the back and other diplomats and politicians at the front. They were facing a long table on a platform with a few chairs behind it. Cody gestured for Fives to stand by the door, and he followed the Minister up to the front of the room. Kenobi walked up the stairs to his seat, and Cody stood with his back to the wall at the base of the steps so he had a good view of the room at large and could watch the Minister's back. As if listening to his thoughts, Kenobi glances back and winks one sparkling eye at him before turning his attention back to the audience settling in. Cody feels his cheeks warm instantly. Why was he so damn sensitive to every little thing the man did? 

He is saved from answering the question to himself by the beginning of the panel. An introduction is given by a moderator, and then questions are posed, either by the moderator or the audience, and Kenobi and his fellow panel members discuss the answers. Despite the man's warning from the other day, Cody finds the discussion pretty interesting. He's surprised to find that he actually agrees with most of what the Minister says. Cody wonders if that will hold true for the topics of other panels as well. 

"The problem," an unpleasant-looking Ambassador called Dooku is saying, "isn't with the infrastructure in place for immigration, it's the people who are immigrating. They come into the country with no money and no jobs, becoming detrimental to the economy of the host country."

"That's simply not true. If people are coming into a country without money, without any way to make ends meet, it is the _job_ of the government to provide for those needs until they are able to stand on their own. There are mountains of evidence that immigration gives countries a huge economic boost in the long run—aside from the fact that it very simply is _the humane thing to do_ —but they require the support of federally funded programs that will actually help them rather than make their lives more difficult." The Minister's face is impassive, but his voice is sharp and direct. Cody notices that when he speaks, the room somehow seems quieter, as though people were listening to what he specifically had to say. He's so transfixed that his brother's voice in his earpiece makes him jump slightly.

_Hey, Codes—Anakin says he's going to lunch with Padmé. I'm assuming they're dating, right? They really seem like they're dating. Anyway, we just wanted to let you know. Anakin seems to think Kenobi'll be busy for a while. And then he grumbled something about him forgetting to eat. Are bodyguards allowed to make sure their charges eat? I'm not sure. How's it going?_

"We're fine here," Cody whispers into the mic on his collar. "Thanks for keeping me updated. I'll keep an eye on...everything."

_I'm sure you will! Rex out._

Shaking his head, Cody refocuses on the panel and resolves to make sure his Minister doesn't wear himself out. He can't imagine how exhausting all this talking must be, even if it is Kenobi's job. 

\------------------

By the time the last questions are being answered, Obi-Wan is already feeling the beginnings of weariness—he can't believe he has to do this two more times today, and several more over the next week. He enjoys it—most of it, anyway—but he's not as used to the debate side of politics as he used to be. At this point in his career, his day-to-day duties are much more laid back than this rapid-fire question and answer ordeal. He's all too happy to depart once time is called, though not before smiling politely and shaking hands with all his fellow panel members. He is relieved to return to Cody at the base of the platform, who is his usual stoic self. Obi-Wan had found himself enjoying the awareness of Cody's sturdy presence throughout the discussions. He'd had to stop himself from glancing back a couple times, just to see a friendly, non-confrontational face. 

"You sounded good up there, sir." Cody gives him a little smile, and Obi-Wan finds himself smiling back. 

"Thank you, Cody, I appreciate that." Cody bows his dark-haired head very slightly.

"It was interesting—uh, it meant a lot, what you said. My parents were immigrants. Moved to New York when they were kids. I never knew my mother, but I knew from what my father told us when my brothers and I were little that living as an immigrant was hard on both of them. Seemed like the world was out to get them," Cody trails off, and Obi-Wan thinks he sees a blush tinge his olive-skinned cheeks. "You probably don't need to know all that. But anyway. For what it's worth, I think a lot of people would appreciate what you said." 

"It's worth a great deal to me, Cody." Obi-Wan isn't entirely sure what to say. He hadn't even realized Cody was listening, let alone considering what he was saying. There was no reason for him to, but he felt warmer and more confident than he had all day. Perhaps it was just knowing that he was appreciated. He also feels somewhat honored to have coaxed more than one sentence out of Cody, who seems to be an admirably concise and somewhat reticent man.

Cody has finally looked back up at Obi-Wan, and it takes Obi-Wan a few moments to realize he's just been silently staring back into Cody's dark eyes, thinking. He smiles to cover his lapse.

"Rex told me Skywalker and Senator Amidala went to lunch. He and Wolffe are with them. Did you have plans, sir?" The two start towards the door where Fives waits patiently. 

"Not particularly. I don't have too long before I have to be at the next meeting..." Obi-Wan _is_ hungry, but he should probably stay focused for the time being.

"With all due respect, sir, you'll be half starved if you wait that long. There's a cafe near by, if that's acceptable." Obi-Wan looks at Cody, considering. He wonders if Anakin put him up to making sure Obi-Wan ate lunch. He wouldn't put it past him. But Cody seems quite sincere, and for some reason Obi-Wan can't bring himself to say no to the man. 

"Perhaps you're right. Lead the way, Cody." 

\------------------

Lunch is a somewhat brief and much-interrupted affair, much to Cody's mild indignation. Can't his Minister's associates let him have a break? People come up to him continually, either to ask him something or simply to say hello, leaving Cody to chat with Fives. He's glad he coaxed Kenobi away for food, though. He's hungry too, and he hasn't been interrogated by reporters and diplomats for the past two hours. Fives seems to be on the same page—she tears though three sandwiches before even pausing to take a breath. Cody is impressed. 

"All these people wear me out." She explains when she sees him looking inquisitively at her.

"It's our _job_ to be around people."

"Yeah. Our job wears me out."

"Fair enough." He looks at Kenobi, who's speaking...Russian, maybe? Cody's not sure. 

"You got a thing for him or something? You stare _a lot_." Fives says entirely too loudly. Cody shushes her immediately.

" _No!_ " Cody almost yelps. Fives raises one eyebrow so high that it distorts her tattoo slightly. He supposes he deserved that. Kenobi, mercifully, remains distracted.

\------------------

The remainder of the day follows in much the same formula. Cody and Fives accompany Kenobi to the remaining panels. Cody listens with interest as Kenobi answers questions about various topics—or, in some cases, debates with others about their answers—and tries not to "stare a lot," as Fives had put it.

Skywalker, Rex, and Wolffe materialize halfway through the last event of the day. Skywalker takes a seat in the back and starts making faces at the Minister, who either doesn't notice or ignores him, and Rex joins Cody along the wall.

"God," Rex whispers to him. "I'm fucking exhausted. How do these guys do it?"

"No idea. You get used to it, I'm sure." Cody can tell their quarries are tired, though. 

It's a relief when it's time to leave in the evening, though Cody has mixed feelings about returning their charges home. He can't help but replay the elegant British accent he's been hearing all day over and over in his head as he and Rex make their way home.


	4. Charades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Obi-Wan is not above using puppy-dog eyes to get what he wants, and Cody gets some hot gossip from a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of got away from me in terms of length—it's a solid thousand words longer than the previous longest chapter, haha. Oh well. I am also going to start peppering in some other POVs, because I just love to get that good outsider perspective. 
> 
> I feel like I had something semi-important to say, no idea what it was. I guess I'll add it in later if I think of it...
> 
> *EDIT* I remembered what it was! I mention Bail Organa having a daughter in passing, in this AU his daughter is not Leia. I don't think it will ultimately matter that much, but just in case anyone was wondering.
> 
> Enjoy!

Cody got up even earlier than usual on Thursday morning to ensure he'd have plenty of time to go to the gym. The exercise gives him focus and soothes his anxieties away. He can't place exactly what it is that's setting him on edge. All Cody knows is that no matter how hard he tries, his mind just keeps getting pulled back to Kenobi like a magnet. Last night, he'd found himself staring blankly at a new penny on the counter for a solid minute, which he's begun to associate strongly with the man's shiny, perfect hair; his crisp British accent seems to haunt Cody's subconscious... 

Completely distracted, Cody fumbles one of the weights he's lifting slightly, and it's only his fast reflexes that save him from crushing his toes. This is getting ridiculous. He puts the weights down carefully and approaches the treadmill—he's probably less likely to hurt himself on that if he zones out again. 

Cody just hopes that he can keep himself together until Kenobi leaves, without making the poor man uncomfortable. The last thing Cody wants to do is hurt the person he's meant to protect with some silly crush—he's just so unused to this. It is quite rare for him to notice someone in the way that he seems to notice Kenobi. Being by his side, watching his back—though there didn't seem to be any threats against him—feels like what he is supposed to be doing in a way that doesn't line up with his usual dedication to his work, even though he's only been following the Minister around for a day. And it will all come to an end so soon—not that Cody thinks any amount of time working with the man would create a situation where his feelings might be reciprocated. Their worlds—physically and socially—are just too far apart. 

"Ah, damn it," Cody grumbles to himself. Who would have thought _he'd_ be the one to end up in a situation like this? Cody's hardly the most romantically inclined of his brothers. If anyone were going to catch feelings for someone aggressively out of their league, à la one of those trashy TV soap operas, he'd have thought it would be Rex, or even Gregor. Cody's never had a problem with his feelings getting out of hand before. He looks down at his phone, and sees that it's nearly time for him to go. He slows his pace gradually and turns off the machine, picks up his things and heads for the locker room. 

\------------------

Obi-Wan has mostly recovered from the business of the conference yesterday by the time he, Anakin, Plo, and their guards arrive back for the second day. His schedule is just as busy—he decided during the drive over to share his various appointments with Cody over text. He trusts that his diligent bodyguard will see to it that Obi-Wan stays on track. Obi-Wan isn't used to having someone reliable with him at all times—well meaning though he may be, Anakin cannot retain a timetable in his memory for more than a split-second, and his protégé is far more likely than he is to get side-tracked, let alone keep someone else on schedule. Obi-Wan feels lighter and reassured by Cody's sturdy presence as they make their way around the large open area at the center of the conference, greeting familiar faces and learning about new people. Every once in a while, he hears Cody's warm voice behind him, speaking lowly to his coworkers, and he inexplicably feels the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. 

It isn't long before Obi-Wan sees a man he's been keeping an eye out for since the conference started—one of his few real personal friends here besides Plo and, obviously, Anakin. 

"Bail!" He calls over the cacophony of many conversations going on at once around him, to a dark haired man several meters away from them. The man looks around, and beams when he spots Obi-Wan, immediately striding over to him. 

"Obi-Wan! I thought I saw that you would be here. Plo, Anakin—it's so good to see you all!" They all exchange pleasantries, Plo immediately asking about Bail's young daughter. He's always loved kids. 

"I see you have some new friends?" Never one to neglect anyone in his company, Bail looked around at the four guards flanking Obi-Wan and the others.

"This is Cody, Rex, Fives, and Wolffe," Obi-Wan pointed to each in turn. "Mace was being, well, Mace-like about security here. Not that I mind the extra company, of course." He turns to wink at Cody, who gives him a tiny but genuine smile, his cheeks darkening in that barely-noticeable way that they do sometimes. Rex is smirking. 

"This is Bail Organa, the director of the Peace Corps," Obi-Wan continues. Cody nods at Bail, Rex waves cheerily, Fives inclines her head, and Wolffe gives a lazy, two fingered salute. Seems about right, Obi-Wan thinks.

"A pleasure," Bail bows his head formally, smiling. "Could I interest you all in lunch in a few hours? I'm inviting a few other people as well, there's a lovely Thai place nearby, enough out of the way that we won't be descended upon by all these people. I'd love to catch up now, but I have a meeting in...three minutes." Bail says, pausing to check the time on his large silver watch. 

"We'd love to," Obi-Wan is immediately suspicious of Bail's reluctance to put forward the names of whom he's invited. "If I may ask..."

Bail exhales heavily, knowing Obi-Wan well enough to sense his question. Oddly, Obi-Wan senses Cody stiffen slightly out of his peripheral vision, as though responding to the slight patch of awkwardness. 

"Senator Amidala, who I know you know...and Duchess Kryze and her sister invited themselves, I do believe." Bail looked slightly nervous at the admission, as though Obi-Wan might back out—which he did briefly consider doing, before dismissing the idea. 

"I'm sure it won't be a problem. It will be, ah, nice to see them again, I suppose." He heard Anakin stifle a snort beside him. Bail looked relieved. 

"Oh good. See you in a bit! I have to run," Bail nodded to them once more before dashing off. 

" _Will_ it be nice to see them again?" Anakin immediately turns to him, raising a dark eyebrow.

"I'm certain the Duchess has long forgotten our...misunderstanding all those years ago." Obi-Wan tries to sound much more confident about that assumption than he feels. He knows he could have been a bit more diplomatic, ironically enough, in dismissing her advances, but there's only so many times Obi-Wan can explain that yes, he is gay; yes, as in he only likes men; no, he is not likely to change his mind about something he's been quite sure of since he was around fifteen years old, before he loses his patience. It's unfortunate, really—he _does_ care for Satine quite a bit, their families had been friends when they were both children, and he wishes things weren't quite so awkward between them. Satine is a highly intelligent, talented, and beautiful woman—but she's also the most stubborn individual Obi-Wan has ever met. 

"I remember," Plo intones, "Bo-Katan Kryze once told me her sister stabbed a man in the hand with her fork at the dinner table for accidentally breaking her favorite vase many years prior." Anakin chuckled ominously.

"Thank you, Plo. That's very helpful." Obi-Wan deadpans, grimacing.

"Well, that'll be something to look forward to!" Anakin grins. "I'm gonna go find Padmé. Come on, boys!" 

"I hope you're letting the senator get her work done!" Obi-Wan calls after his protégé, who just waves his hand dismissively, not looking back at him. Honestly. He looks back at Fives and Cody, whose brow is ever so slightly furrowed. He smiles at them both. It's about time to head to his first appointment of the day.

"Shall we?"

\------------------

As he's exiting a panel about half an hour before they're due to meet for lunch, Obi-Wan gets a text from Bail: 

_Can only get a reservation for eight. Pick your favorite from your entourage._

"Cody, it seems only one of you can come to lunch. Do you mind...?" Obi-Wan asks apologetically. He's sure Cody would rather stick with his brother and coworkers, but Obi-Wan would actually appreciate the man's consoling presence if he's to face Satine and her equally terrifying sister. 

"Of course, sir. I'll let Rex and Wolffe know." Cody bows his head and begins to speak into the little microphone on his collar with his brother on the other end. 

"Aw, man," he hears Fives say to Cody as he turns away. "I wanted some fancy Thai food. And to watch you m..." he doesn't catch the rest of what Fives says due to some chatter nearby, and mentally admonishes himself for trying to eavesdrop in the first place. 

A short while later, Obi-Wan and Cody leave the conference and Obi-Wan pulls up the address Bail sent him on his phone. The others have either already gone ahead or haven't managed to extract themselves from their obligations yet.

"Should I call to have the car pulled around, sir?" Cody is looking expectantly at him.

"It's only a few blocks, and it's nice out—would you mind walking?" Obi-Wan hasn't really gotten to appreciate Manhattan on foot yet, aside from his morning runs in Central Park.

"Not at all, sir," Cody smiles. "I prefer to walk, honestly. Hard to appreciate the city from the car." 

"I quite agree." Obi-Wan feels himself smiling back—not his formal, forced smile that he has to put on with his colleagues inside, but a genuine one. They fall into step beside each other in comfortable silence for a block or so, Obi-Wan taking in the sights and sounds of midday in the city—taxis, buses, and regular cars line up end to end at each light and cyclists weave like snakes through the traffic; as they head north, there are throngs of pedestrians, and Obi-Wan briefly revels in the knowledge that outside the venue no one in this city likely knows or cares who he is. He supposes that is the appeal of a big city like New York or London, but London had ceased to provide that anonymity after he became a Minister of State. 

Despite having to navigate several dense crowds, Cody never vanishes from Obi-Wan's side. They seamlessly navigate the crowds together, as though they'd been walking through the city together for years. Obi-Wan glances at Cody a few times—his face seems a bit more relaxed outside the conference space, his brow no longer furrowed and his dark eyes softer and less appraising. 

"So, Cody," Obi-Wan finally says. "I have to say, I think it would be slightly odd if you called me 'sir' considering this is a relatively informal gathering of personal friends."

"You're my boss. Temporarily, anyway. Sir." Cody says this neutrally, but Obi-Wan feels strangely stung by it. It's true, of course, but Obi-Wan can't shake a feeling of wrongness regarding the statement. Obi-Wan has, however, _never_ been one to back down from a challenge. He puts on his sweetest, most innocent diplomacy face—the one not even Anakin can ever say 'no' to—and tries again, jogging forward slightly to face the other man, who slows his pace and looks at him.

"Well, I'd like us to be friends as well, if you don't have any objections. Perhaps you could think of this as your lunch break. You're off duty, so it doesn't matter what you call me. And I'd like it if you called me Obi-Wan." He sees Cody's resolve crack with almost comical swiftness. He smiles a tiny, slightly indulgent smile at Obi-Wan and glances down at his feet. Obi-Wan doesn't have a career partially based on his ability to coax people to his point of view for nothing. 

"Alright, alright—Obi-Wan." Cody finally says, meeting his eyes once more. His name sounds nice in the low, slightly rough tones of Cody's voice. Obi-Wan allows himself a self-satisfied grin. 

"Excellent." He falls back into step beside Cody. He expects a return to companionable silence, which seems to be Cody's preferred mode of socialization, but he is pleasantly surprised. 

"When I told my brothers I was assigned to a member of the British government," Cody says, somewhat cautiously. "My brother Waxer—he's a bit of a history nerd—wanted me to ask you if you've met the Prime Minister. And if you get to go to cabinet meetings." Obi-Wan is caught off guard by the directness of the question, and laughs.

"I have met Prime Minister Palpatine many times, though I've only been to a few cabinet meetings. My friend Mace—Mace Windu, he's the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs—has been to far more. He seems like a nice man, the Prime Minister, though I don't agree with his politics a lot of the time. It's safe to say I'm...a bit further left than even my liberal colleagues." Obi-Wan explains. 

"I was getting that impression from your debates." Cody smiles at him, and Obi-Wan feels himself blushing a little. He's probably ruffled a few feathers in the past day and a half—despite his peaceful approach, Obi-Wan has a hard time letting go when he hears something he doesn't agree with morally. 

When they arrive at the restaurant, a pretty, unpretentious Thai place in a low building that looks a bit older than the buildings around it, Obi-Wan is almost disappointed to end his conversation with Cody. He's excited to see his friends, but he'd felt more himself on the walk here than he had in a long time. 

Anakin, Padmé, and Bail are already seated at a table towards the back of the restaurant, chatting happily. Anakin is telling some story that has both Padmé and Bail laughing heartily. Obi-Wan approaches and sits down across from Padmé. Cody begins to move around to the other side of the table, and before Obi-Wan can stop himself, his hand shoots out to reach for Cody's arm, catching his sleeve and some of his wrist, and pulls him back to the chair next to his. It takes Obi-Wan's brain a second to catch up with his body's sudden insistence that Cody remain at his side, and he lets go quickly, fingers tingling. How bizarre. 

"My apologies, Cody," attempting to cover his impulsiveness. "Is here okay?"

"Of course," Cody looks unconcerned, though perhaps a little perplexed. Obi-Wan is also a little perplexed, honestly, so he doesn't blame him.

"That worried about the Duchess Kryze sitting next to you, Obi?" Anakin laughs, his eyes flitting between Obi-Wan and Cody.

"Very funny, Anakin. How are you, Padmé? Is this oaf bothering you yet?" Obi-Wan says, inclining his head at his smirking protégé. 

"Oh, endlessly," she says, but smiles fondly at Anakin, who looks back at her softly.

\------------------

Cody takes the seat next to the Mi— _Obi-Wan_ , still slightly disoriented from the sudden contact and trying very hard to appear unfazed. The skin of his wrist feels warm, the phantom pressure of Obi-Wan's soft fingers lingering long after his hand returned to his lap. Cody had meant to give the man some space, sure that Obi-Wan would prefer the company of the friends that he hadn't seen in a while. Apparently, Cody had assumed too much. He touches his own wrist absent-mindedly under the table.

It isn't long before the remainder of the party shows up. Cody can't relinquish a dull anticipation regarding the woman Obi-Wan seems to have some sort of past with, the Duchess—he had gotten the sense that it was something quite personal. This impression gets much stronger when the Duchess arrives with her sister.

"Ah, Satine, Bo—so glad you could make it!" Bail greets the two women as they walk towards the table. They don't look much alike—the Duchess Kryze is a slim woman, elegantly dressed in blue, with her shiny blonde hair done up in elaborate curls. Her skin is so pale that it appears almost translucent—paired with piercing blue eyes, narrow features, and high cheekbones, she has an otherworldly and commanding presence. She _looks_ like someone who'd be involved with Obi-Wan. The thought makes Cody's stomach twist slightly. He looks to her sister, who reminds Cody almost instantly of Fives—she has pin-straight ginger hair pushed back with a silvery headband, green eyes, and a beautiful yet stern face. She's wearing an expensive-looking three-piece black suit and tie.

"Hello, all," the Duchess says in an aristocratic Eastern European accent, looking at everyone. Cody thinks her eyes linger for a moment on Obi-Wan, who doesn't quite turn all the way around to look at her. She floats to the seat to the left of Bail, at the end of the table and as far from Obi-Wan as possible. Her sister seems to deliberate for a moment before sitting to Cody's left. 

"Do I know you?" She squints at Cody once she's seated.

"Ah, no," Cody says, feeling scrutinized. "Cody Fett. Nice to meet you." He holds out his hand."

"Bo-Katan Kryze," she introduces herself, shaking his hand firmly. "Call me Bo. Who are you here to represent?"

"No one," Cody explains quickly. "I'm part of Obi-Wan's security detail." Cody is once again struck by how profoundly above his pay grade everyone here is. It still feels weird to say the Minister's first name aloud, but he likes the way it rolls of his tongue. He'll have to be careful not to get used to it.

"I see," she says, glancing past him at Obi-Wan, who is deep in conversation with Padmé. "I apologize on behalf of most world governments. No one should ever have to deal with these people."

"It's not so bad," Cody replies, the unbidden image of Obi-Wan laughing on the walk to the restaurant floating to the front of his mind. Bo looks back at him, a mysterious smile drifting across her face. 

"I suppose Kenobi is one of the best of us," she concedes.

Plo Koon arrives a minute later, and a waiter comes by to take everyone's orders. The place is a little more expensive than Cody is used to, and perhaps some apprehension shows on his face because Bail abruptly announces to the table at large that he is buying everyone's meal. Cody has no idea if it's in response to his presence or not, but he appreciates it either way.

"I'm getting more wine, then," Bo says lowly, and Cody's not sure if she's talking to herself or him, but releases a huff of laughter all the same. 

Sitting next to Bo turns out to be quite illuminating for Cody. She seems to know everything about everyone, including Obi-Wan, and is happy to share anecdotes, with Plo occasionally chipping in. She has a lot more in common with Cody than a lot of Obi-Wan's friends, putting him at ease. He learns that she has a military background, like him, and overall just feels more... _normal_ , which is an odd thing to think about someone who's practically royalty. Bo also seems disinclined to participate in the rest of the table's conversation. Cody senses some tension between her and her sister—the two haven't exchanged a word since they sat down. Talking to Bo also has the added benefit of distracting Cody slightly from the fact that his and Obi-Wan's legs keep bumping together very slightly under the table. 

As if plucking one of Cody's many questions out of his mind, Bo lowers her voice conspiratorially. 

"I don't think anyone would have told you," she's almost whispering, and Cody has to lean in slightly to hear her. He sees Plo lean in on her other side, and Cody almost laughs at how _high school_ all of this gossiping feels. Don't these people lead countries? "My sister and I have known Obi-Wan our whole lives. Satine...well, let's just say she got quite fixated on him as we got older. She tried to get him to date her every time they saw each other, until Obi-Wan finally started to avoid us all together. I don't blame him. She can be incredibly persistent. I don't know why he said 'no', only that he was pretty adamant about it—not that it matters, no one should feel pressured into any relationship."

"Still, they seem like they'd be a good fit. They're both attractive, smart.." Cody muses. Bo shrugs.

"I don't know about that. My sister can be domineering, to say the least. I don't think either of them would have been happy in the long run, even if he'd agreed to court her."

"An unstoppable force meets and immovable object," Plo says, nodding absently. "Never mind the fact that Obi is," he stops abruptly, as though realizing he probably shouldn't say whatever it is that he's about to say. "Um, very busy?" He finishes, making his statement sound like a question. Bo and Cody both look at him for a long moment, but he says nothing more on the subject. Finally, Bo turns back to him. 

"Want to see a picture of Anakin and Obi-Wan being attacked by penguins in Antarctica?"

\------------------

Their food is delicious—though not even the fanciest lunch could ever top Gregor's pasta, in Cody's book—and before long, it's time to head back to head back for the next event Obi-Wan needs to be a part of, though the Minister hasn't seemed to notice the time. The temptation and the opportunity too strong to resist, Cody reaches up and gently places a hand on the other man's back, in the vicinity of his shoulder blade, and leans slightly towards him.

"It's nearly two, Obi-Wan—we should be heading back now." Obi-Wan looks at Cody, blue eyes bright, and smiles sweetly at him, making Cody's stomach flip-flop. 

"Indeed, Cody," he stands and bids farewell to the group, adding a 'see you later' to Anakin and Plo. Cody stands as well, nods, and thanks Bail for lunch and Bo for the company. Bo's mysterious smile flickers once again.

"Good luck," she says, and Cody thinks that's an interesting choice of words. 

"I hope you enjoyed yourself?" Obi-Wan asks earnestly as they walk back, eyebrows knitted slightly.

"I did," Cody replies. "Thanks for having me along."

"Anytime." Obi-Wan beams. "You and Bo seemed to get along well...?"

"Yeah, she was excited to have someone to share embarrassing stories about you with," Cody grins, mostly kidding—Obi-Wan came off rather well in most of her stories. "I have to ask, what did you do to incite the wrath of the penguin forces of Antarctica?" 

Obi-Wan laughs again and ducks his head self-consciously, causing a small lock of his perfect reddish brown hair to fall into his face, which Obi-Wan pushes back into place quickly. Some part of Cody's mind helpfully notes that he'd have liked to smooth Obi-Wan's hair back in place for him. 

"A small portion of my job is to determine government policy towards the polar regions. There's hardly anyone there, but I did go down there once with Anakin to visit an expedition. It was quite interesting, actually. I certainly didn't think our presence would cause...avian unrest." It's Cody's turn to laugh now. 

They arrive back at the conference, and the rest of the day passes without incident until everyone is getting ready to leave. Obi-Wan, Cody, Fives, and Plo Koon are waiting near the exit for Anakin, Rex, and Wolffe, when the hair starts to stand up on the back of Cody's neck. Someone is watching them. Instantly on high alert, Cody steps forward from the wall slightly to get a look around. 

"What's up?" Fives senses his unease almost immediately. Cody doesn't respond. His mind is already racing through exit strategies, and he doesn't even see a threat yet. And then he sees someone looking at them—not at them, at the Minister specifically—from across the room. He's alone, and the expression on his face fills Cody with foreboding. 

"Codes? What is it?" Fives asks again. They've both moved into defensive positions almost without thinking. Cody takes a moment to appreciate Fives' complete faith in Cody's instincts.

"Your two o'clock, back wall. See that guy?" 

"The bald guy?" 

"Yeah. Something's not right." Cody blinks, and the man is gone.

"Want me to go after him?"

"No. Stay. Let's just get with the others and go." He turns to Obi-Wan, who's looking between him and Fives, looking serious but not alarmed. "You know any scowl-y bald guys who hate you?"

"Can you be more specific?"

"Kinda stocky, looks oddly sun burnt, little to no eyebrows?" Obi-Wan strokes his beard thoughtfully. 

"That sounds like Maul Opress. He's the French Ambassador to the UK, lives at the embassy in London. He's kind of a creepy bloke, but I don't think he means any harm." Obi-Wan looks slightly unsettled though, and Cody resolves to stay on his guard. 

"He ever do anything to you?" Cody asks, watching the Minister's face carefully for any clues. 

"No," replies Obi-Wan. "Apart from some disagreements as far as politics go, but that's hardly unusual." Cody nods. 

"I'm sorry," Fives blurts. "But how on earth do you get into politics with a name like _Maul Opress_?"

When Rex and the others arrive, Cody is only too happy to lead the way out, still keeping a sharp eye out for Opress.

\------------------

Rex knows something's on his brother's mind almost immediately. When they're already passing under the East River on the 5 train to get home and they've spent the whole ride in silence, Rex decides that it's time to start asking questions. 

"You alright, Codes?" Rex doesn't want to accidentally push his brother away, but he does want to know what's going on in that head of his. 

"Yeah," Cody says distractedly. "Just tired." Well, _that's_ bullshit.

"Is it about Kenobi?" Rex knows without a doubt that his brother's crush on the Minister has only gotten stronger over the past two days. He can't claim to understand entirely, but he's sure that Cody's gone beyond "passing attraction" and more into "would protect at all costs" territory. Rex has never in his life seen his brother look at someone the way he looks at Kenobi. And he has to admit, they make a good-looking pair—there's a rightness to the way they work together, as though Kenobi is Cody's commanding officer and they'd been by each other's sides for years. Rex knows people don't just find each other like that every day, and he wishes the circumstances were different for them. As always, he only wants what's best for his brother. Cody _deserves_ happiness, more so than anyone Rex knows.

"Yeah," Cody finally says, so quietly that Rex can barely hear him. Cody seems to shake himself back to alertness after another moment. "Hey, would you do me a favor?" 

"Anything, Codes." Cody whips out his phone and googles a name, then holds up a photo of a man for Rex to see.

"Would you keep an eye out for this man? Got a bad feeling today. Might be nothing, but I'd feel better being sure." That isn't what Rex was expecting, but true to his word, he stares at the face on the screen for a few minutes, committing it to memory. 

"Sure, brother. You have good instincts."

"That's what I'm worried about." Cody mumbles ominously.

\------------------

"A book?" Plo nods, and holds up six fingers.

"Six words?" Another nod. Plo pretends to hunch over, with one arm extended.

"Wait, you're supposed to tell me what word it is first? Is this the first word?" Anakin protests. Plo waves his hand dismissively.

"Cripple?" Plo shakes his head, returning to his silent miming.

"Uh...hunchback? Broken back? Injury...?" Plo shakes his head, and thinks for a minute. Then he points at Obi-Wan, and continues his hunched walk.

"Oh!" Anakin yells triumphantly. "An old man?" Plo nods emphatically, then holds up six fingers.

"Hey, that's not fair! That's cheating! You can't point at people in charades!" Obi-Wan proclaims indignantly. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a distinguished political figure and member of the British aristocracy, is playing charades. Anakin and Plo are on one team, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan on the other. They are all quite inebriated, having plowed through two bottles of Plo's expensive Spanish wine in the space of about an hour. 

"Says who?" Anakin retorts gleefully, then looks back at Plo. "Sixth word?" Plo nods, and thinks for a second before wiggling his hands up and down as though performing a strange dance. 

"Oh, God—worms? Snakes?" Plo shakes his head so hard Obi-Wan thinks his glasses might fall off. "Leaves falling?" Plo turns to the side, and does the undulating thing with the entirety of both his arms this time. This is too much for Ahsoka, who falls to one side on the sofa, laughing uncontrollably. 

"Waves?" Anakin asks, and Plo does the beckoning motion to indicate that he's close. "The ocean...Oh! _The Old Man and the Sea_!" Plo flops down onto the ground with exhaustion. The timer on Obi-Wan's phone beeps, and he reaches to shut it off, laughing at his friend. He's having a good time—It's been a long time since he's played a real game, let alone had this much to drink—but it feels like something is missing. Once or twice, he catches himself turning to say something to someone who isn't there, and the more wine he consumes the more certain Obi-Wan is that it's _Cody_ that he's missing. He must be more drunk than he thought. They'd been together all day, surely it is natural that he has to readjust to the man's absence at the end of the day. 

Obi-Wan stares blankly at his phone, automatically opening up his messages. Cody's name is near the top, as he'd sent him his itinerary that morning. Then he tossed his phone back on the coffee table as though it had burned him. _Nope._ He is not going to drunkenly text a man he's only known for a couple days. No matter how much it feels like something he should do. There's something about Cody that seems to encourage him to act irrationally—he'd practically manhandled the man earlier, and when Cody had put his hand on his shoulder blade at the end of lunch he'd felt himself lean into the touch reflexively. 

"You okay, Obi?" Ahsoka's looking at him with a funny expression on her face, recovering from her bout of giggles. Obi-Wan realizes his hand has drifted to his shoulder, where Cody's strong, warm hand had been earlier. Obi-Wan shakes his head to clear it. He will have to consider this development later. 

"Yes, just tired," he says to Ahsoka with a smile. Anakin's looking at him suspiciously, but Obi-Wan can't bring himself for worry about that now. Anakin can have all the suspicions he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to Plo for remembering not to accidentally out his best friend, graceless though the redirection may have been. Also, I hope I wasn't too hard on Satine in this chapter, I love her I just didn't want Cody to be too put off, haha.


	5. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan begins to get the impression that everyone knows something that he doesn't. Ahsoka abducts Cody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went on an adventure and I was just along for the ride. Almost none of this was planned. However! I do roughly know what all the next chapters are going to be now. We're probably looking at about 9 or 10 chapters of about this length total—I won't make it official yet, but just from my notes that's my current prediction. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Sir Obi-Wan Kenobi is hungover. Not the most hungover he's ever been—no, that honor still belongs to the day after Minister Yoda's last holiday office party, three years ago. Obi-Wan still has _no_ idea how his coworker had managed to secure not only an indecent amount of gin, but also permission for an entire department of the Government of the United Kingdom to get _plastered_ in the Grand Locarno Room of their stately office building. Admittedly, Obi-Wan had been going through some things at the time. The tradition had been discontinued after that year, due to some "damage to government property," as Mace had put it. 

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan is nursing a dull headache and quite reluctant to leave the comfort of the plush mattress. Not even Oberon's silent judgment from the sunny windowsill can motivate him to do anything other than drag himself towards the kitchen and start poking Plo's elaborate percolator until it starts dispensing coffee. He's glad today is a half-day for the conference, presumably in preparation for tomorrow's gala. 

The caffeine helps, but it's Anakin's state of dishevelment that really makes Obi-Wan feel better. His eyes are red and he has his head in his hands as he hobbles towards the kitchen. Obi-Wan has mercy on him and pours him a cup of coffee, which Anakin mutely accepts before flopping onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. 

"I doubt Ahsoka and Plo will be up to see us off this morning," Obi-Wan comments.

"I don't blame them. Can I go back to sleep too?" Anakin runs a hand through his shaggy hair, which is in an alarming tangle. Obi-Wan doesn't answer, but checks his phone to make sure he has time to shower—he's sure he doesn't look much better than Anakin. There's a text from Cody that just says "en route," sent about five minutes ago, which probably means he has about forty-five minutes to an hour, going by how long it takes anyone to get anywhere in this city. It's hardly anything, but Obi-Wan feels the corners of his mouth twitch upwards at the text. When he looks up, Anakin is also looking at Obi-Wan's phone. 

"What?" Anakin doesn't respond, but he shoots Obi-Wan a withering look and shakes his head. " _What?_ " Obi-Wan repeats, exasperated. Anakin's been looking at him _knowingly_ far too often recently, and it's starting to get on Obi-Wan's nerves.

"Absolutely nothing." It isn't nothing, clearly, but Obi-Wan knows when it's a lost cause to try to extract information from his protégé. He sighs defeatedly and wanders back towards his room.

\------------------

Obi-Wan consoles himself with the fact that this is the only debate he has to participate in as he sits in his seat at the raised table in the front of the conference room. He can discuss environmentalism in his sleep, and he has a suspicion that he won't need to say much at all, since Satine is on this panel as well and conservation is one of the many, many topics that are close to her heart. She nods curtly to him from her seat a few chairs away from him, and he nods back. He looks over at Cody, who's looking back at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Obi-Wan smiles, and Cody gives him a subtle thumbs up, smiling back almost imperceptibly. This has become their pre-event ritual, a silent exchange, just to touch base. Obi-Wan has never needed these little reassurances before, but now he can't imagine going without them. He appreciates that Cody humors him. 

The person who's speaking, Obi-Wan begins to notice after a few moments of being mentally elsewhere, has _absolutely no idea_ what they're talking about. It's one thing to have an opinion that he may or may not agree with; that happens all the time. But this—Obi-Wan squints at the name plate on the table in front of the man speaking— _United States Representative Nute Gunray_ is relaying information that is, quite simply, factually incorrect. The general public's use of plastic has never been one of the leading causes of global warming; no, wind turbines do not cause cancer—that has to be in the top ten stupidest things he's heard in his entire career. He puts his face in his hand briefly to hide his grimace. Satine looks like she's about to set the man on fire. When the man's spiel is done, there is barely a beat of silence before the Duchess' extensive tirade begins.

"...Positively the most _inane_ thing I've ever heard—there is _no evidence whatsoever_ that wind turbines, or any other common renewable energy resource, has any connection to cancer. Anyone who says otherwise is participating in fear mongering, and enabling the top one percent to continue to profit from the burning of fossil fuels—this isn't about anyone's _health_ or _science_ , it is about money and _greed_..." Satine continues for several minutes, barely stopping for breath, contesting every single point with pure disdain in her voice. She's right, of course, Obi-Wan knows that. But she is not even remotely diplomatic about it, and is unfortunately more likely to piss people off than she is to bring anyone to her point of view. 

"If the Duchess Kryze is quite finished," Gunray says with a sneer when Satine stops speaking. "It is clear that the idealism of her politics has taken over her rationality—" 

"Excuse me," Obi-Wan interrupts. He simply cannot stand it any more. "If no one can provide scientific evidence to support representative Gunray's numerous...claims, they should be removed from the content of this debate, lest there be any confusion. Perhaps those who are interested can discuss conspiracy theories another time, but here we should stick to proven _facts._ " It isn't unbiased, since he can hardly refrain from calling the man an imbecile himself, but it's as much as Obi-Wan can do to defuse the situation. Silence falls once again, and eventually the moderator moves things along. 

At the end of the debate, Satine approaches him before he can grab Cody and Fives and flee the room, anxious to get out of what had probably been one of the most harrowing events of the conference thus far. 

"Obi-Wan?" Oh dear, she hadn't called him that in a while. "I don't mean to hold you up. I just wanted to thank you for your support. You know it's hard when people are just so—wrong." He does know. 

"Anytime, Satine. Not much I can do about stupidity, but settling hostilities is part of my job." She gives a breathy laugh, then looks down at her feet, an uncharacteristically humble gesture. 

"I also wanted to...apologize. For...you know. I've always considered you a friend. I thought...well." Satine is floundering, but Obi-Wan isn't quite ready to help her out yet. Years of mild harassment and diplomatic events made awkward by her insistence that they would be an excellent couple will take a little time to recover from. 

"I can't claim to understand," she's saying. "But you seem so happy. And I'm happy for you." _Huh?_

"Thank..you?" Satine smiles and drifts away, her complicated hair bouncing behind her, leaving Obi-Wan standing there, utterly perplexed. Why would she be happy for him? Is there something going on that he should know about?

"You okay, si—Obi-Wan?" Cody manifests at his side. His concerned expression stretches the winding scar around his eye slightly. Obi-Wan is seized by an impulse to touch it, which he refrains from doing, chalking it up to being disoriented by the peculiar interaction he just had.

"Um. Yes. Let's go," he says, quite articulately, thank you very much.

\------------------

It's barely one in the afternoon when they all pile out of the car back in the Upper East Side. Ahsoka is perched on a large cement planter outside Plo's apartment building, chatting with the door attendant. She grins and waves when she sees them, disturbing the ferns behind her.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have the information about the gala tomorrow night?" Obi-Wan asks Cody, feeling slightly bad about absconding with the weekends of their guards. He's sure they have better things to do, but at least there will be free food and access to a lot of famous artwork without flocks of tourists, if they're in to that.

"Yeah. We're picking you up here at six, going to the MoMA, formal dress. Was there anything else?" Obi-Wan smiles, once again enjoying Cody's ability to stay on top of things.

"What're you all gonna wear?" Ahsoka pops up at Obi-Wan's shoulder, looking inquisitively at the four guards.

"I've got a nice suit from my friend Bly's wedding," Rex provides. "The one you skived off of, Cody." He adds, elbowing his brother in the ribs.

"I only wear motorcycle jackets off work." Wolffe says. Ahsoka narrows her eyes at him, so he continues. "But I have nicer ones than this. And I'll put on a vest. And a tie."

"I'm wearing my man-killing dress." Fives grins. Ahsoka nods with approval.

"I don't know exactly what that means, but I love the concept," Ahsoka replies. Obi-Wan hopes the dress in question makes it through the metal detectors. Finally Ahsoka looks at Cody, who Obi-Wan thinks looks a bit uncomfortable. 

"I think I have a tie?" He says finally. Ahsoka stares, then a look that Obi-Wan has come to associate with imminent shenanigans spreads across her face. 

"Wait here!" She calls, sprinting into the building. Cody looks a little fearful, but does a commendable job of hiding it.

"What's she doing?" Rex stage-whispers to Obi-Wan.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Ahsoka reemerges two minutes later with her purse and a wide grin on her face. She strides right up to Cody, links her red-sleeved arm in Cody's dark-jacketed one, and starts to pull him away, down the sidewalk.

"C'mon, you. Obi, tell my dad I'm borrowing his credit card," Cody starts to protest. "No arguing! Think of it as a bonus for being awesome. Obi-Wan has done nothing but sing your praises for the last couple days. And my dad has infinite wealth. _Let's go shopping_." They're around the corner before anyone can say anything about it. Obi-Wan looks at Rex.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. They'll be fine, right?" Rex just shrugs. 

"Honestly, I was going to do it if someone else didn't, and I'm sure she has better taste than the two of us combined."

"Fair enough," Obi-Wan concedes. He just hopes that Ahsoka doesn't wear Cody out too much in the process.

\------------------

If someone had told Cody that today would find him being dragged on a shopping trip to some of the finest clothing stores in Manhattan with a woman he barely knew and the credit card she stole from her wealthy, politically powerful father, he'd have said they'd been inhaling too many subway fumes. And yet, here he is. He can't help but enjoy Ahsoka's contagious excitement, and she seems so genuinely invested in finding him something nice to wear that it mitigates the self consciousness he felt about not owning any fancy clothing. 

They don't stay long in the first store they go in—Ahsoka looks around briefly at the rows of ties and jackets and pants on display, a serious expression on her face, then proclaims that the vibe isn't right and that they won't find anything that suits—no pun intended—him here.

"Wait, hold on," just outside the store she stops, turns to face him, and looks him up and down, her wine-red nails rubbing her chin in a gesture reminiscent of Obi-Wan's contemplative beard-stroking. Cody tries to stay as still as possible. 

"Well, we don't have to worry about hiding your figure—you're like a damn statue."

"Thanks?" She ignores him.

"The color needs to bring out that olive skin...maybe a really dark green, or deep gold. Something tells me you're not a loud color kinda guy. Black hair goes with everything. Hmm...nothing too flashy..." She orbits him a bit. Then she stops and claps her hands together. "Okay. I know where to go."

They continue on east, then make a right down Lexington Avenue. After a few minutes of busy streets and weaving through clumps of people, Ahsoka stops them in front of a tiny, old-fashioned looking shop with its name, _Jocasta and Sons_ , printed on the front window in an elaborate swirling font.

"Dad goes here sometimes. I'm sure Madame Jocasta will be able to help," she says, pulling open the door and leading the way into what looks more like a comfy sitting room than a store. There are two large, dark leather armchairs and a matching sofa dominating the center of the room, configured around a small table. A few mannequins line the walls, each wearing a suit—there's a bold red one, a deep blue one, and several black ones. At the back of the store there's a wall of ties in every color imaginable. Cody doesn't know much about the world of fine clothing, but he knows enough to be impressed by this place. 

"Ah, little Ahsoka! How lovely. And I see you've brought someone with you?" An ancient woman appears from a back room. She has a kind, wrinkled face and white hair pulled back in a tight bun. 

"Hi Madame Jocasta! This is my friend Cody. We are in urgent need of a suit for a very important event tomorrow night." Cody smiles sheepishly and bows slightly to Madame Jocasta. 

"Anything for a friend of you and Mr. Koon, my dear. Now, what did you have in mind?"

\------------------

About an hour later, after Ahsoka considers Madame Jocasta's collection and oversees a flurry of measurements, Ahsoka flops down on one of the big leather chairs to wait with Cody for the alterations to be made. It shouldn't take long, the suit Ahsoka had selected—with Cody's seal of approval, of course, though he'd deferred the style choices to her—wasn't far off from the right size anyway. Ahsoka thinks it'll compliment him well, and more importantly, she's _sure_ that Obi-Wan will be impressed. She smiles to herself, recalling her conversation with Anakin after everyone else had gone to bed last night.

_"I noticed that Cody had a crush almost instantly," Anakin had said with pride, voice slurred from an evening of drinking. "He was all flustered when they met...and he's always looking at Obi-Wan."_

__

_"Isn't that kind of his job?" Ahsoka replied, though she hadn't doubted Anakin's instincts._

__

_"Well, yeah, but not like that," Anakin sighed. "And now he's doing it too! And he always acted like Padmé and I were obvious. At least I knew that I wanted to be with her, there wasn't all this," he waved his hand around absently, "all this denial and repression."_

__

_"They've only known each other for a few days, maybe whatever their feelings are will just go away?"_

__

_"Some times you just know, Snips. And honestly, getting laid would probably do Obi-Wan some good."_

__

_"Ewww, Anakin!" Ahsoka slapped him on the arm. "He's like my big brother!"_

__

_"How do you think I feel, around them making heart-eyes at each other all day!?"_

__

_"It's payback for all your pining over Padmé before you guys got together," Ahsoka laughed. "Now you have to suffer too."_

Anakin had a point, though. Perhaps the romantic atmosphere of the gala will move things along a little bit. And of course, Ahsoka will do her best to help out. She likes Cody, and Obi-Wan could use a sturdy, reliable presence in his life. He always has so much on his plate. They may live in different countries, but technology has come so far, and people move around all the time...

"Are you sure it's okay that you're doing this for me?" Ahsoka looks up and sees Cody looking at her, apprehensive. 

"Absolutely." She smiles in a way that she hopes is reassuring. "You're not used to getting presents, are you?"

"Nah, it's not that," he replies slowly. "Not expensive ones, anyway. Been a long time since I didn't have to worry about where the money for something was gonna come from. Rex and I aren't all fancy like you guys, and we've got our brothers to spoil first." He says the last part like it's a joke, but Ahsoka senses the insecurity behind it; she is familiar with the feeling.

"Did Obi tell you where I came from?" Cody shakes his head. "My dad took me in off the street when I was very young. I don't remember much from before he took me in, but I remember being cold and hungry. I couldn't think about anything other than where I was going to get food, how I was going to shelter myself when night fell," Ahsoka looks down at her hands in her lap, fiddling with her bracelet. "I remember the first time my dad took me inside his home—the one in Washington DC. It was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. There was a fire on the hearth, and he made me chamomile tea. I remember being terrified to touch anything, worried that I would make anything I touched dirty or break something, and he'd make me leave again. But he never did." She smiles warmly at Cody, who's listening thoughtfully. 

"You get it, then," Cody says eventually. "It's hard to accept a good thing when your world has taught you to wait for the other shoe to drop."

"Yeah," Ahsoka understands completely. "But sometimes, there's only one shoe."

"But what if you aren't good enough for the shoe? What if, uh—"

"The shoe doesn't like you back? You'll just have to ask the shoe."

"Are we still talking about the suit?"

"I thought we were talking about shoes..." 

\------------------

It's well past dark by the time Cody's hauling his bag of expensive goodies. He'd managed to stop Ahsoka from getting pocket squares for every one of his brothers, but she'd managed to throw a royal blue silk tie for Rex, and then proceeded to hide the total cost of the gifts from him when it showed up on the register, which he's quite grateful for. He doesn't think he could ever wear what's in these boxes if he knew how much they cost.

He kicks off his shoes and nudges them into the corner with the others and puts down his bag. His brothers are all camped out in the living room with the TV, making the small two-person couch a four-person couch through sheer willpower, even though there was a perfectly good armchair _right there_.

"So, when do we get a fashion show?" Gregor calls to him from where he's squished into the armrest by Boil's legs. 

"Good evening to you too," Cody quips. "Not till tomorrow. Ahsoka got you a tie, Rex—I told her your favorite color."

"Nice! Blue tie! I love that kid," Rex says. "You and the Minister should get married so I have an excuse to go visit them after this job."

"Very funny." Cody can't even muster the willpower to deny anything. Clearly everyone knows about his feelings at this point, much to his chagrin—except for Obi-Wan, by some miracle. Though she had been subtle about it, Ahsoka clearly has some sense of his feelings going by their conversations that afternoon, which undoubtedly means Anakin knows too. Oh well. He tried. It doesn't really change anything.

Waxer wiggles out from between their brothers and gingerly opens the bag and peeks into the boxes within. "Oh, _wow_ ," he says, seeming genuinely impressed. "Is that real gold thread? And you have a vest?" 

"Hey, get outta there!" Cody nudges his brother away from the boxes.

"I'm just looking! I have to work tomorrow so I won't be able to watch you get ready for your date."

"It's not a date. I am _literally_ being paid to be there. For _work_."

"Oh yeah, and the friends of your clients always buy you fancy clothes and hang out."

"You gotta admit, Codes," Rex butts in. "This assignment has been a little different than our usual jobs." He could say that again, Cody thinks.

After a long-awaited dinner and some old episodes of Forensic Files with his brothers, Cody rolls in to bed, exhausted. Despite the great lengths to which Ahsoka went to put him at ease and prepare him for the gala, he's a little apprehensive about spending hours in a social setting with the Minister and his many strange and powerful friends. Lunch had been one thing, but a fancy event with alcohol and music and dancing—he'd continued to wonder, ever since he saw what video of him fencing which was definitely not saved on his phone, if Obi-Wan is a good dancer. He supposes he'll find out soon enough. Cody falls asleep to the thought of his Minister dancing around in his head, his eyes and hair shining in imaginary candlelight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe a bit too cheesy, I know. But the idea of Ahsoka absconding with Cody and dressing him up just got a hold of me and would not let go...I chose not to include the details of their purchase on purpose, I want to save it for Obi-Wan's POV ;)


	6. Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan gets with the program, a little bit. And there's dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a fun chapter to write, I hope you guys like it! I'm going to bed now.

Cody Fett spends the majority of Saturday morning and early afternoon fretting. He can't seem to sit still. He checks the location of his dress shoes three times, he paces the living room until Boil kicks him out for distracting him from his game with his "anxious energy," he goes for a run, he cleans the kitchen. He's so lost in thought as he scrubs at a spot on the counter that when his brother coughs from the entrance of the kitchen, Cody starts and whacks his temple, near his scar, on an open cabinet door above him. 

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you—thanks, Codes," Gregor says as he wanders into the now-sparkling kitchen. "I was gonna do that."

" _Ouch!_ Eh, I was bored." Cody replies, rubbing his head, trying to sound a lot more casual than he feels. 

"Well, I've never known a Fett to _clean_ when they're bored." Cody doesn't have a good response to that. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah." Gregor looks at him disapprovingly. He's always been the sensitive one in the family. Cody and Rex do their best, but whenever Waxer or Boil is upset about something, they usually go to Gregor for consolation. 

It's not that Cody feels _bad_ per se. He can't help but be excited—Obi-Wan's world is fascinating, and Cody loves to be guided through it by his (charming, beautiful) friend. He doesn't want any of this to end. Even if can never have Obi-Wan for himself—that man could have anyone on the planet that he wants, and no matter what anyone else implies to him, he has no reason to believe that could ever be him—being his shadow fills Cody with a sense of peace that he hasn't felt in a long time. But there's only a few more days of the conference, and then he'll most likely never see Obi-Wan again. It's bittersweet, to say the least.

"Rex is a little worried 'bout you." Gregor prods, pushing himself up to perch on the counter. 

"I'm fine, really," Cody smiles at Gregor. "It's just...weird."

"God, you really like that British dude, don't you?" Cody does. "And you're sure he's not interested in you?"

"Even if he is—which, there's _no way_ —he's...he's fucking British nobility! He lives in London! Does no one but me see the endless array of reasons why it can't happen?"

"You don't need to see the many reasons it can't happen if you have one really good reason it can." Cody snorts.

"Did you get that out of a greeting card?"

"Motivational poster, actually."

Cody starts getting ready about an hour and a half before it's time for him and Rex to leave. He showers, shaves, and spends fifteen minutes trying to tame his thick black hair. He should have gone to get a haircut—the longer it gets, the more it likes to stick up at odd angles. When he's done, he looks almost exactly the same as he normally does, except there's a little wedge-shaped red mark on his temple where his head had made painful contact with the cabinetry earlier. Cody sighs. Time to get dressed.

\------------------

At five forty-five, Obi-Wan is mostly ready to go. He sprinkles some water on Oberon and inspects himself in the mirror briefly before going out to wait. He's glad he brought his favorite suit—it's an earthy and dark moss green, which he knows makes his hair appear redder than it is. He adjusts his golden tie pin on his burgundy tie and runs a hand through his hair, feeling unaccountably nervous. Obi-Wan goes to events like this all the time, and Cody will be there to keep an eye on him. When Ahsoka had returned last night from her little shopping excursion, she had seemed incredibly proud of herself. He'd asked how it went, but Ahsoka had just grinned and said he'd see the next day. 

Anakin's putting his shoes on by the door when Obi-Wan approaches, whispering with Ahsoka, who's wearing a sleeveless dress with a high neck and an open back in a shimmering silver material that looks almost like a liquid. 

"Oh, so now there aren't any boring panels you want to come along?" Obi-Wan teases.

"Well, duh," Ahsoka says. "How could I ever pass up the opportunity to watch Anakin trip over his own feet while dancing to the tune of Mozart's Waltz in F Major or whatever?" 

"I'm not _that_ bad at dancing!" Anakin exclaims indignantly. He looks more put-together than usual—his all-black suit and deep red shirt go well with his dark hair, which has been tamed back from his face and closer to "fashionably wavy" than "chaotic mop" for a change.

"I always try to get him to let me teach him," Obi-Wan shakes his head. "But he won't have it."

"At least I _have_ a date and am not _wasting my time in denial_." Anakin retorts, 

"What do you mean by that?" Before Obi-Wan can get an answer, there's a buzz from the intercom, indicating that their guards had arrived and were waiting for them downstairs. Plo hurries to the door from the direction of his room, smoothing the front of his slate-gray jacket. 

"Everybody ready? Let's go." Obi-Wan leads the way out.

It turns out that it's Obi-Wan who isn't ready. There are two smaller black cars instead of the normal SUV in order to accommodate all eight of them. Fives and Wolffe are standing by one, looking fashionable. Next to the other, Rex is speaking quietly to—Obi-Wan's brain abruptly stops working. He is vaguely aware that he's walking, and someone is saying something, hopefully that isn't something he has to reply to because his mouth has gone _completely_ dry...

Cody is absolutely gorgeous. Obi-Wan has always known the other man was attractive—it's hard for him not to notice such an athletic body and handsome, chiseled face, and he's always liked dark hair and brown eyes. But the un-tailored uniform that the man has worn every time Obi-Wan has seen him isn't exactly the most flattering outfit. But _this_ is a whole other story. Cody's wearing an old-fashioned, three-piece suit that fits him perfectly. It's made from a fabric that's such a rich, dark blue that Obi-Wan thinks it's black at first. There are thin, barely-noticeable pinstripes of shiny gold thread running up and down his body, and Obi-Wan wants very much to trace a finger down the lines. The shirt Cody's wearing underneath is a light blue instead of the traditional white, and there's a lovely deep gold silk tie at his throat that matches the little pocket square in his breast pocket. It's not an elaborate outfit, but it's elegant and subtle and Obi-Wan...

"Obi?" 

"Hm?" He has to refocus, he has to stop staring. Who is talking to him?

"You still in there?" It's Ahsoka, and she's smiling in a way that Obi-Wan would describe as devilishly victorious. She turns to Anakin. "He's so far gone."

"Christ. C'mon, you." Obi-Wan feels a little jab in his back and realizes that at some point he'd stopped walking on the way to the car. He shakes himself mentally, his brain starting to pull together a lot of information from the past few days that he'd been neglecting in the back of his mind. 

When they get closer, Obi-Wan notices a little red mark on Cody's temple, near his scar—he wonders what could have happened between now and when he last saw Cody, as the mark definitely wasn't there before. 

Cody opens the door for them, and Anakin slides in immediately. Obi-Wan's eyes have yet to remove themselves from Cody. He thinks they might be stuck like that. Fortunately, he trusts himself to have recovered enough to speak. 

"Ahsoka does good work—you look lovely, Cody." He manages, trying to make his compliment as platonic-sounding as possible while his actual thoughts are decidedly elsewhere. 

"Not as lovely as you, sir," Cody replies with a warm smile, and Obi-Wan can't even correct Cody for calling him "sir," because Cody is _clearly_ flirting with him and isn't _he_ supposed to be the flirtatious one?

When he gets in the car, Anakin is looking at him with his arms crossed.

"What?" Obi-Wan asks innocently, though he thinks he's starting to see what's going on here. It's just too tempting to press on Anakin's exasperation. 

"Oh, _come on_!"

By the time they are pulling up in front of the MoMA in Midtown Manhattan, Obi-Wan has come to a couple conclusions. The first one is that he is incredibly attracted—probably more than just attracted, if he's honest—to Cody Fett, and has been for a few days. The second one is that everyone else knew this about him already. Satine's comments the day before, Anakin's significant looks, Ahsoka's behavior all point to this. He assumes that they also think Cody likes him too, but this Obi-Wan is less sure of. A little flirting is one thing, but Cody's employed by him and also quite professional most of the time. Obi-Wan will just have to wait and see what happens. He _hates_ the thought that he might make Cody uncomfortable.

When they all get out of their cars, Obi-Wan gets another look at Cody. God, he's beautiful. He needs to get a grip on himself or his ogling is going to get him in trouble. When they all make their way to the entrance, Cody falls into step beside him as though they are heading to another day of the conference, and Obi-Wan can't help but smile.

\------------------

Seeing Obi-Wan's face when Cody and the others had picked him and his friends up was well worth any awkwardness Cody had felt about having someone else buy a suit for him. Cody knew that glassy-eyed look, because he knew he'd been wearing it when he looked at Obi-Wan for days. If nothing else, it gave him immense satisfaction to know that he wasn't _unattractive_ to the man. _Still doesn't change anything_ , the little negative voice in Cody's head whispers to him.

As they enter the MoMA, people he recognizes wave to Obi-Wan. The place is decorated with candles at little tables and nearly everyone has a glass of wine in hand. The main atrium is cleared to be used as a dance floor, and there's a small chamber orchestra set up near the large windows facing the courtyard dotted with sculptures. In the evening light, Obi-Wan's auburn hair looks like it's on fire, set off by the soft green of his suit. Cody is, _somehow,_ even more enamored than he was before.

Senator Amidala, wearing an impressive red ball gown, makes a beeline for them from the vicinity of the refreshment area. Cody notes with amusement that her dress is the exact color of Anakin's shirt.

"They look like high schoolers coordinated for their homecoming dance," Cody whispers, feeling incredibly proud of himself when Obi-Wan laughs, blue eyes sparkling at him. 

"They do, don't they? I bet Padmé would make a good homecoming queen. Not sure about Anakin though..." 

It isn't long before the group disperses, Plo and Ahsoka doing a walk around the room, catching up with Plo's friends who all seem delighted to see Ahsoka. Rex and Wolffe take up positions on the outskirts where they can keep an eye on Padmé and Anakin, who wasted no time before floating off to the dance floor. 

"You guys good? I would like to have a chat with those snacks..." Fives, looking intimidatingly elegant in her black sheath dress with a slit up the side of her leg, is eyeing the food table longingly. She can eat more than anyone else Cody knows, and he has four brothers. 

"Of course," Obi-Wan says, and Cody nods. Then Obi-Wan looks at him. "I need to do some mingling, join me?" As if Cody would go anywhere else.

They wander around the room, stopping and talking to people every few minutes. Cody finds that Obi-Wan's peers acknowledge him far more often tonight than he's used to. He thinks it's the suit. He finds himself contributing to the conversations—well, the ones in English, anyway—more than normal as well, and every time that happens he catches Obi-Wan smiling fondly at him. He should have Gregor make some of his delicious cannolis for Ahsoka to show his appreciation. 

He also notices that Obi-Wan hasn't introduced him as his bodyguard all night, instead referring to Cody as his "friend." Cody is sure some people get the wrong idea from that, but Cody is absolutely not complaining. 

Cody's listening to Obi-Wan talk to a tall Italian man, trying to pick up the random Italian words he knows, when he hears someone greet him from behind.

"Hey, Cody! Fancy seeing you here." It's Bo, without her sister for once. She's wearing a suit too, but hers is a bold purple, and the jacket is long and flared like a pirate's coat. "Is your boyfriend neglecting you?" 

"He's not—" _oh, fuck it._ "Nah. I'm just not as gifted with every known language as he is." 

"How many does Obi-Wan speak again? Five?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I can try to count for you." Bo smirks. 

"Come dance with me instead. I'm bored."

"I'm not sure I should—"

"Obi-Wan! I'm borrowing your Cody. Don't worry, I'll bring him back." She calls over his shoulder. Obi-Wan squints at her, but nods in acquiescence, and with that Cody is drawn away by the arm to the dance floor. The orchestra is playing a jaunty tune, and Cody hopes his limited knowledge of ballroom dancing is sufficient to get him through this. 

"You know how to dance?" 

"Kind of?"

"That's not reassuring. I'll lead." Cody laughs and agrees.

\------------------

If Obi-Wan weren't absolutely certain that Bo-Katan Kryze is a lesbian, he would be insanely jealous. As it is, he wishes he was the one guiding Cody through a waltz. From what Obi-Wan can glean from his stolen glances at the pair, Cody does know how to dance, he just lacks the confidence to make his movements fluid. He wonders what they're talking about. Bo says something that makes Cody give a little surprised laugh, and Obi-Wan feels a tightness in his chest. 

"You look jeaaalooous," Ahsoka grins, appearing at his side with Plo and Bail in tow. 

"Not at all," Obi-Wan lies. "Your taste is impeccable, by the way."

"I know." Ahsoka chirps happily. 

The four of them chat for a while, and Fives comes by with a plate of little mini sandwiches for them all. Obi-Wan thinks he's probably going to need a glass of wine to get through this evening as well. When the song finishes, Cody and Bo rejoin the group.

"See? Brought him right back in one piece." Bo says to him proudly, thumping Cody on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Bo," Obi-Wan replies, looking at Cody. "Would you come with me to look at the galleries upstairs, Cody?"

"Of course."

\------------------

As soon as Obi-Wan whisks Cody way, Ahsoka holds a hand up to Bo, who looks at it dubiously before giving Ahsoka a high-five. 

"You have to admit, they're pretty cute." Ahsoka says, nodding towards Obi-Wan and Cody's backs. Cody's hand is hovering a few inches from Obi-Wan's shoulder protectively, guiding him through the clumps of people to the grand staircase. 

"I guess." Bo-Katan admits, watching them before turning back to Ahsoka.

"You wanna dance?"

\------------------

There are a few small groups of people wandering the galleries above the gala, enjoying the tourist-free museum. Cody hasn't been here in years—he likes museums, but he almost never has the time to get himself to one. The last time he went to any museum was when Waxer had wanted to go see an exhibit about Medieval knights at the Met last year, which feels like a very long time ago. He says as much to Obi-Wan, who nods solemnly. 

"My job has also...made it hard for me to continue to do things I enjoy," Obi-Wan says slowly, as though weighing his words as he says them.

"Like fencing?" Obi-Wan looks at him with wide-eyed surprise. "My brothers may have...researched you a little bit." Cody doesn't say that he's spent a good hour or two watching videos of him on YouTube. Obi-Wan chuckles, and Cody wishes he had a recording of that too. 

"I haven't looked myself up in a long time. Did they find anything else interesting?" 

"Not that they told me. You aren't the subject of any gossip columns yet, as far as I know." 

They're up on the fifth floor now, near the late 19th century paintings. The walls are lined with Cézanne and van Gogh, and Obi-Wan leads them around a room divider to the place where van Gogh's _Starry Night_ hangs alone. They both look at the painting in silence for a few moments. 

"This was what your suit made me think of," Obi-Wan murmurs, combing his fingers through his hair, an action which Cody knows now is a sign that the Minister is feeling self-conscious. He's got a point though—the gold of the moon and the starts paired with the many shades of blue closely mirrors the color palette of his outfit.

"From what little I know of Ahsoka, she may very well have planned that," Cody considers. He's acutely aware that this is the most alone they've ever been. He can still hear the indistinct chatter from the first floor, as well as the orchestra, which is playing a slower song, much lower in pitch than the one that Cody danced to with Bo earlier. 

"Do you dance?" The words are gone from Cody's mouth before he can intercept them, and as though he'd been waiting for it, Obi-Wan immediately turns to face him and steps closer. For an absurd split second, Cody thinks Obi-Wan is going to kiss him and he feels as though the air has been sucked out of his lungs. But he stops a respectable distance away, to Cody's...disappointment? Relief? 

Moving slowly and deliberately, he takes the hand Obi-Wan has slightly extended. His fingers are soft and warm, but strong. He irrationally hopes Obi-Wan doesn't mind the callouses on his own hands. Obi-Wan puts a hand on his waist and Cody slides his automatically up to Obi-Wan's shoulder. Cody follows his movements as Obi-Wan starts to dance. It's somehow both harder and easier than dancing with Bo had been—on one hand, Cody feels himself move with Obi-Wan without even having to think about it, as though their minds and bodies are connected by invisible strings that move him. On the other hand, it is very difficult for Cody not to pull Obi-Wan in closer to his chest. Every point where they touch seems to radiate some mysterious energy, and Cody's completely hypnotized by it. Cody has to look down very slightly to gaze into Obi-Wan's lovely blue eyes. He knows he's blushing slightly, but his partner's cheeks are slightly pink too, so he doesn't worry. They just fit together so perfectly. He could stay here forever, slowly dancing around the empty rooms of the MoMA with Obi-Wan.

When the song ends, neither of them move away from the other. The dancing was hardly strenuous, but both of them are slightly out of breath. Obi-Wan releases his hand, but instead of pulling away he touches the side of Cody's face. Sensing where Obi-Wan's gaze is, he smiles.

"I was attacked by a cupboard this morning." Obi-Wan's slightly furrowed brow relaxes. 

"You should be more careful." His hand is still holding Cody's face, and then Cody realizes that's because Cody's holding it there with his own hand. 

"Yeah," Cody can't think of anything other than Obi-Wan's face, just inches from his, and how easy it would be to kiss him. Cody knows Obi-Wan would let him, just as he knew how to follow Obi-Wan as they danced.

There's a stumbling noise from the next gallery over, and then some laughter. Reluctantly, Cody releases Obi-Wan's hand. It's almost physically painful to pull himself away. 

The noise turns out to be Anakin and Padmé, who seem to be engaged in some combination of a tickle fight and kissing on the bench in the center of room. Obi-Wan clears his throat loudly, and the two sit up straight, composing themselves. Cody takes some pleasure in their embarrassment, since he's a little salty that he was deprived of more of...whatever had been happening between him and Obi-Wan, who looks similarly disgruntled. 

"Hey, don't clear your throat at me, you're up here sneaking around too!" Anakin exclaims indignantly.

"Not sneaking, admiring the art!"

"Oh, I'm sure the art wasn't the only thing you were— _what the!_ " There's a little sound, a thwack, from outside that makes a chill go down Cody's spine for some reason. Then, an immense crash splits the air outside. The four of them dart to the big window on one side of the gallery just in time to watch a network of scaffolding surrounding the building across the street collapse spectacularly. Cody thinks he sees a shadow move along the ground, but he isn't sure.

"Holy shit," Anakin's eyes are wide. "I really hope no one was under that."

"Should we tell someone?" Padmé wonders aloud, looking concerned.

"No idea. Who would we tell?" Cody's unsettled, and ferries everyone back downstairs quickly once they're done looking at the mess outside the window. 

\------------------

_"Did you do it?"_

"No, I couldn't get a clean shot. There was someone with him, and you only paid me to do one hit. And then the scaffolding collapsed."

_"Never mind, Bane. There will be another opportunity."_

Cad Bane ends the call to his employer and finishes putting his rifle and silencer away with a sigh. Tonight has been unproductive. First he couldn't get a good shot lined up, the man with Kenobi kept getting in the way. Then, when he finally had a chance, he'd felt is perch on the construction scaffolding begin to shift and his shot had gone wild, the bullet embedding itself in the concrete of the building across the street, and he'd had only seconds to scramble down and away before the whole damn thing collapsed. 

Maul was right, however. There's still time.


	7. Go Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has an introspective Sunday. Then, the shit hits the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time doing funky formatting, I hope it looks okay on mobile. If it looks bad, it's just cause I haven't had time to fix it yet. 
> 
> This was so fun to write, but also really hard. Once the action started, everything tumbled out a lot faster than I thought it would—I hope it doesn't seem rushed. 
> 
> Thanks so, so much again to everyone commenting and leaving kudos! I still love you!

"I can't _believe_ you didn't kiss him. That was the _whole point_." Ahsoka has her hands on her hips and is glowering at Obi-Wan, her morning cup of coffee forgotten on the counter behind her. They'd all been too tired to discuss much last night, but this morning Ahsoka had wasted no time in interrogating Obi-Wan about Cody. 

"I don't know if that's what Cody had in mind," Obi-Wan tries, though he's starting to think that maybe it _was_ what Cody had in mind. The thought makes his heart skip a beat in a way that is becoming far too familiar. He sips his coffee, looking blankly out the window towards the park to avoid Ahsoka's vexed gaze. Obi-Wan is well on his way to falling in love with a man he's known for less than a week, he's allowed to be a little wary. He doesn't have much experience in this arena, despite his age—work had always come first for him, even as a child. He's been attracted to people in passing before, but it has always been too easy for him to put such feelings out of his mind in favor of his myriad of other commitments. But this felt...different. He couldn't box away his thoughts of Cody, now that he'd acknowledged them. He's glad he has a day off before the conference resumes on Monday to collect himself. Not that he thinks it will help all that much. 

After breakfast, Obi-Wan retreats to his room to get dressed for a run around Central Park. Perhaps some meditation and duck-watching will help him clear his head.

\------------------

Cody is completely unable to sleep the night after the gala. He feels like he's been hit by a bus. When he finally gives up on sleep at about six in the morning after the hundredth fantasy involving his and Obi-Wan's evening and other ways it could have ended, he pulls on his shoes and goes for a walk in the spring morning chill. The breeze ruffles his hair and he breathes in the ever-fragrant Brooklyn air—this morning, it's primarily gasoline and honey-roasted nuts.

He truly cannot believe how aggressively he's pining over Obi-Wan. He would say he felt like a love-struck teenager, but he doesn't remember ever feeling like this when he was a teenager. If the idea of Obi-Wan going back to London after the conference had been mildly upsetting before, Cody was now positively _dreading_ it. Especially now that he suspected that Obi-Wan might maybe like him a little bit too. He feels a profound sense of anticipatory loss. A wise voice in his mind, one that sounds suspiciously British, says that he should just enjoy what time there is, maybe take a few chances...but Cody has a very hard time thinking that way. He needs stability, he needs to be _sure_. Although, right now the only thing he's sure about is that he really, really wants to kiss Minister of State Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cody rubs his eyes and sighs to himself.

\------------------

_**Anakin Skywalker** _

_Sooo, Rex... is your brother over there moping or is it just obi_

**Rex Fett**

its so bad. codes didnt sleep all night, kept hearing him pacing in the room over :((

_**Anakin Skywalker** _

_Yikes. Really thought snips' plan to make him jealous was gonna make something happen there, but if anything it made it worse_

__

**Rex Fett**

oh, is that what was happening?

can we just shove them together next time theyre in the same place??

_**Anakin Skywalker** _

_I am seriously considering it_

_Never seen obi so...I don't even know if 'out of it' covers it_

**Rex Fett**

im with ya man XD XD

_**Anakin Skywalker** _

_You really don't strike me as the sort of person to make liberal use of emoticons, count me surprised_

**Rex Fett**

haha 'emoticons'? what are you, fifty? id expect that sooner from kenobi

_**Anakin Skywalker** _

_You give him too much credit, he barely texts_

**Rex Fett**

lol he and my brother can just be old men in younger bodies together

Rex is lying on his back on the couch with his phone on his chest. He really hopes that his brother works though whatever it is he's working through before this assignment is over, he can't stand Cody looking so forlorn. And it sounds like Obi-Wan isn't doing much better. Pushing them doesn't seem to have done that much good. In the meantime, all he can do is make sure his brother takes a nap and knows that he's there if he wants to talk. 

\------------------

On Monday morning, the seven of them arrive at the conference as usual, with the added element that every single time Cody and Obi-Wan's eyes meet, both of them blush. It happens when Cody's speaking at one point, and he completely forgets what he's saying. Cody's _sure_ he's normally more functional than this, but today, he wouldn't know it.

He doesn't have much time to reflect on it though, because the second they pass into the main hall of the conference, things start to go very wrong. The only warning that Cody gets is a glimpse of two men staring at them from across the room. One is the bald man he saw the other day—Maul Opress—and the other is unfamiliar. As he watches, the unfamiliar man starts towards them, and Opress raises his hand and lobs two large canisters into the air. As they fall, they begin to release an unending stream of opaque gray smoke.

"Incoming!" There isn't time to be more specific. At Cody's shout, Rex, Fives, and Wolffe close ranks without question, but they are so spread out that Cody can't see where everyone ends up before the smoke engulfs them. Not one of them has a firearm, but Cody wouldn't dream of firing into the area now covered by the smoke grenades. People are yelling, and he can hear footsteps all around him, but he can't see anything. When he realizes he can't see Obi-Wan, his mind starts to race in panic. 

"Obi-Wan?" He calls behind him, forcing his voice to be steady. The smoke is making his eyes water. 

"I'm here," Cody snaps around, sighing in relief, just in time to see an Obi-Wan shaped silhouette come into focus before another, fast-moving shadow appears behind Obi-Wan, seizing the man's neck in a headlock with one arm and pointing a pistol at Cody with the other. 

"Don't move. He's coming with me," a gravelly, strangely nasal voice comes from the figure, whose face Cody can't distinguish due to the smoke, but who he knows must be Opress' accomplice. He can barely hear him above the chaos around them, and no one seems to have noticed what's going on here. "Nothing personal, just doing my job, you understand."

Fortunately for the two of them, the assailant made a grave error when he chose to point the gun at Cody instead of Obi-Wan. The second he takes a step backwards to spirit Obi-Wan away into the now-clearing smoke, Obi-Wan twists, quick as a viper, and plunges his elbow into the attacker's gut. He grunts, doubles over, and the weapon fires into the carpet, causing screams to rise up all around them. Obi-Wan springs away, and without having to worry about accidentally hurting him, Cody lunges forward to wrest the gun away from the attacker and incapacitate him completely with a few well-aimed blows. He's unconscious before he hits the ground, and Cody spots Fives through the haze, hurrying towards them. He asks her to keep an eye on the unconscious man, whom Cody sees is wearing a bright blue mask that hides every part of his face but his closed eyes. 

"Are you alright?" Cody looks to Obi-Wan, unable to stop himself from reaching up to smooth the man's slightly ruffled hair and resting a hand on his shoulder. 

"Fine, thank you, Cody," he smiles wearily, taking Cody's hand. 

"I hardly did anything, you saved your own ass there." 

"You were a good distraction," Obi-Wan says with a laugh, and Cody feels himself smile back. Then he freezes. _Where's Maul Opress?_

\------------------

Maul Opress had a feeling that it would come to this. What is that saying? If you want something done right, do it yourself? When Bane failed to take Kenobi, Maul darted to the stairs, up to the second floor where there was a balcony that overlooked the main hall where he had stashed the rifle that Bane had failed to kill Kenobi with the other night. Now, he watches, waiting for the clear shot he needs to end this once and for all. If only that dumb security guard would stand _anywhere_ else...

\------------------

Cody can't shake the feeling that this isn't over. He scans the crowd over and over, looking on the fringes for Maul Opress. 

"Rex!" His brother looks over at him from where he's helping a diplomat to her feet. The place is still in chaos—there are a few people with injuries, more from being trampled in the panic than anything else. Papers and chairs are everywhere, along with dropped belongings and—fascinatingly—a pair of boots sitting upright as though someone had just been yanked out of them from above. 

"What's up?"

"Where's Opress?" His brother shrugs and scans with him. Emergency vehicles are starting to arrive outside, which is good, but does mean that it's about to get difficult to find a missing person. Cody looks back over at Obi-Wan, who's starting towards a group of the injured. 

And then Cody remembers the gala, and the sound that had unsettled him before the scaffolding across the street collapsed. The sound of a bullet striking concrete. They have a sniper, or at least, they have a sniper rifle. Cody looks up, and there he is—and Maul is looking back at him, which means he has to take his shot, since he knows he's been spotted. Cody moves faster than he ever has in his life, but the most he can do is throw himself against Obi-Wan to push him out of the way. He hears two cracks, and the yelling starts up again. Cody watches as Maul takes the gun and sprints away. Rex and Wolffe see as well and start after him, but Cody's only worried about Obi-Wan.

It hadn't been a perfect save—far from it. There was already blood spreading from the man's bicep. A graze, Cody thinks. But that's not what he's worried about. On his way down, Obi-Wan had whacked his head on one of the fallen chairs. He kneels and gently pulls the man's upper body into his lap, trying to position him less awkwardly. Then he removes his jacket, folds it up, and holds it firmly against Obi-Wan's bleeding arm.

"Urrhhgg," Obi-Wan looks dazed. "I'm fine." If this were any other situation, Cody would laugh.

"Yeah, sorry, you're not fine. Nice try. Go get one of the emergency workers!" He calls to Fives, who's already turning to do just that. He sees Anakin—who Wolffe had been harboring in a safe position until he ran off to chase Opress with Rex—dashing towards them, looking alarmed.

"Is he okay?"

"He got grazed. I think he hit his head though."

"You're comfy, Cody," Obi-Wan supplies helpfully. His hand is wandering around as though searching for something of its own accord, and Cody provides his own hand tentatively. He figures he guessed correctly, because Obi-Wan grabs it and holds onto it more firmly than Cody would have thought possible in his weakened state.

"See what I mean?"

"I don't know that he wouldn't say that normally," Anakin jokes, but he looks worried. A couple paramedics push past him, and Cody tells them exactly what happened. 

"He's coming in the ambulance. Who's riding with him?" Anakin moves forward, but then he looks at their clasped hands, and his eyes soften minutely. 

"You go," he says, looking at Cody. "Keep me updated. I'll be there as soon as I can." Cody nods, grateful. He wouldn't leave Obi-Wan's side for _anything_ right now. Anakin turns to leave, and then something occurs to Cody.

"Oh wait!" Anakin looks back at him. "Can you bring the plant?"

"What?"

\------------------

Obi-Wan wakes up in the early hours of the morning with a monster of a headache. When he opens his stinging eyes, he sees a dark window with the blinds half closed. Oberon is sitting in the windowsill, looking leafy and green as usual. _That's strange_ , Obi-Wan thinks. He thought he put Oberon on the other windowsill, the one that gets more light during the day. His head really hurts. His arm also really hurts. He touches it and finds a thick white bandage wrapped tightly around his bicep. And then he remembers.

"Oh, _fuck_." He tries to sit up but it makes him dizzy. He tries again, moving as slowly as he possibly can. Spots appear in his vision, but he manages it. He's in a small hospital room, hooked up to a few different machines which beep and hum lazily. His phone and a few other personal effects are very neatly arranged on a table next to the bed, and there's a paper resting on top of them with a few lines of handwritten text in a messy scrawl.

_If you wake up while I'm asleep—_

_You have a mild concussion (sorry) and you are here for observation. You're not supposed to look at screens for long. Anakin told me that you are not good at being in hospitals, but please don't strain yourself. People visiting tomorrow. Your friend Mace Windu called twelve times, Anakin had a word with him. Drink water. Wake me up if you need anything._

_-Cody_

Obi-Wan smiles. There's something charmingly maternal about the note, despite its formality and strangely clipped tone. He folds the paper very carefully and tucks it into the pocket of his brown coat neatly folded on the table, then dutifully takes a sip of water from the glass on the table. Cody himself is asleep in a chair in the corner of the room, arms crossed and head resting against the wall behind him. Obi-Wan doesn't think he could ever fall asleep like that, Cody must have been absolutely exhausted. He wishes Cody were closer, but he contents himself with studying the man from afar. He's jacket-less and his shirt is unbuttoned at the collar. There are a few dark stains on his sleeves—Obi-Wan's own blood, he figures, with a pang of guilt—which are rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. Cody had saved his life. If given a choice between a mild concussion and a shot to the head, there was only answer. 

Obi-Wan checks the time on his phone—three forty-seven—and then settles back down into bed. He watches the rise and fall of Cody's chest until he drifts off to sleep again.

\------------------

The next day is a blur of people asking him questions about his memory of the event, testing his vision, and checking his wound. The doctors give him some pain meds, and by the middle of the day Obi-Wan's head has gone from a throbbing nightmare to a dull ache. Cody doesn't leave Obi-Wan alone for more than a minute at any point. When he steps out to get a snack from the vending machine, an elderly nurse steps in briefly and addresses Obi-Wan with a smile.

"Your partner is _so_ sweet. When you were out yesterday, he kept watch like a hawk. Drove some of the other nurses insane with questions, and ran interference with visitors all day. Your other friend, the tall man with the shaggy hair, had to force a granola bar on him when it got to be nighttime and he hadn't stopped to eat all day. I'm glad he seems a little more relaxed now you're awake," she pauses and smiles wider. "He must love you a lot." And with that, she moves on, leaving Obi-Wan with lots to think about and a warm feeling throughout his body. When Cody returns, he has an armful of vending machine snacks.

"I wasn't sure what candy you like, so I got a lot." Ob-Wan laughs, which makes his head swim unpleasantly.

"Any chocolate?" A Hershey bar and a package of M&Ms are tossed into his lap. Cody hooks his chair with his foot and pulls it over so he can sit with Obi-Wan.

"Thank you, Cody. I appreciate what you've done a lot, I hope you know that."

"It's just chocolate. I can get you more," Cody says with a grin.

"You know that's not what I mean," Obi-Wan's not going to let Cody brush this off. Cody's smile falters and he looks down at his hands.

"It's my fault you're here," he mumbles dejectedly. "If I'd been faster, figured out what was going to happen sooner—"

"That's _ridiculous_. You saved my life, Cody. I don't care how...gracefully it happened. Without you, there wouldn't have been anyone there to stop Maul from taking his shot." Cody still looks quite unconvinced. Obi-Wan reaches out and takes the hand in Cody's lap.

"Thank you for watching over me, too, my dear," Obi-Wan rubs his thumb over Cody's slightly bruised knuckles. The endearment rolls off his tongue so easily that he doesn't even blush, though he hadn't meant to include it. "And for bringing Oberon. And for your note." Cody remains silent, but tenderly wraps Obi-Wan's hand up in both of his and brings it up to his face. Obi-Wan feels the lightest brush of lips against his fingers, so faint that it if Obi-Wan weren't watching it happen, he would think he was imagining it. He sucks in a sharp breath and feels lightheaded, and he has no idea if it's the light kiss or his concussion. 

"Are we interrupting something?" Cody starts back, but doesn't drop Obi-Wan's hand. It's Ahsoka, standing in the doorway with Plo and Anakin behind her. Obi-Wan wonders how long they've been there, not that he cares that much.

"Yes." Obi-Wan deadpans. 

\------------------

The room is decidedly not big enough for the five of them to camp out in, but they work it out. Cody pushes his chair to Plo, who takes it gratefully. In response Obi-Wan's pointed leg folding, Cody perches on one side of the end of the bed while Ahsoka flops down on the other dramatically. Anakin remains standing, leaning against the wall by the door, and relays some news.

"The rest of the conference was canceled this morning. They still haven't caught Maul. You brother," he nods at Cody, "caught him, but then some dumb cops let him escape again almost immediately." Cody knows this—Rex has been texting him incessantly for the twenty-four hours.

"You need to call Mace," Anakin continues. "He's losing his mind. Get ready for a very long and complicated version of 'I told you so.' He also has a few actually important things he wants to ask you about."

"Very well. I'll do that first thing tomorrow." Cody hears the exhaustion in Obi-Wan's voice, and a spark of frustration flares up in his mind. Obi-Wan has a _concussion,_ for Christ's sake—they need to let him rest, not badger him.

Fortunately, that's all the shop talk Anakin has. Without missing a beat, Plo pulls a deck of cards out of his pocket with a flourish. 

"Go fish, anyone?"


	8. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Obi-Wan and Anakin relocate and Cody gets a botany lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really hard to make a plot happen when these loons won't. Stop. Flirting.
> 
> If anyone was wondering, yes, all of Obi-Wan's plants have names from Shakespeare. That's just how it is, I don't make the rules. And, speaking of me not making the rules, I'm gonna bump the rating up because I have realized that I swear a lot without even noticing.
> 
> Enjoy!

After some cajoling from his brother and endless assurances from Anakin and Ahsoka that they would keep an Obi-Wan, Cody agrees to go home for a couple hours that night. As much as he wants to stay, Cody is in desperate need of a shower and has been wearing the same bloodstained shirt for over a day and a half now. He resolves to return as soon as he wakes up in the morning, which will undoubtedly be quite early. It's almost unbearably hard to leave Obi-Wan, especially since Maul is still technically on the loose. Cody can't let go of the feeling that as soon as Obi-Wan is out of his sight, Maul will strike again. He'd never felt so afraid for someone else before, and Cody feels a little ridiculous about it, since Obi-Wan has clearly demonstrated that he can defend himself—Cody just doesn't want him to have to. Then again, maybe it's for the best, because apparently when Cody tries to protect people they get head injuries. He still feels very guilty about that.

"Damn, Codes—you look like Hell." Gregor greets Cody as he arrives home. Cody just grunts. It's late, the twins are probably in bed already, if not asleep.

"How's your...Obi-Wan? Rex was here for about an hour and then ran off again without saying much. I think he's helping the authorities investigate."

"He's okay," Cody replies, and Gregor gives him a pointed look. Cody sighs, and goes to the kitchen to get a glass of water to stall, Gregor trailing behind him. "I feel bad. He only got concussed because I knocked him out of the way."

"You feel bad...for making sure he wasn't shot in the head? I'm sorry, that's _the dumbest_ thing I've ever heard." Cody huffs.

"That's what he said."

"Well, he's _right_. I'm glad there's someone else around to talk sense in to you now besides me. You're too hard on yourself."

"I'm gonna go take a shower."

\------------------

Cody arrives back at the hospital early the next morning, feeling refreshed. He's opted for a more casual outfit than his usual uniform—just dark jeans and a black t-shirt. Cody is much more comfortable. Speaking of his uniform, he's not sure if he's technically working anymore, he should really check in with Yularen. Either way, Cody has plenty of sick time, as he's never missed a day of work in his life, and this is obviously much more important.

When he enters Obi-Wan's room, Obi-Wan is sitting upright, looking more alert than he had the last time Cody saw him. He looks up at Cody—well, more accurately, he looks Cody up and down, not even bothering to conceal the fact that he's _clearly_ checking Cody out. Cody's face heats up, even though the man's attention actually feels quite nice. 

"Hey," Cody manages.

"Hey, yourself." Obi-Wan's tone is undeniably flirtatious. Cody feels his blush deepen.

"Gross," Anakin interjects from the chair, which he's pulled back into the corner of the room. Cody hadn't even noticed him, or Ahsoka, who is curled up like a cat at the foot of Obi-Wan's bed, fast asleep.

"You were pushing for this, Anakin," Obi-Wan tells him reproachfully, never mind that Cody isn't even sure what "this" is.

"Yeah, but I don't want to _hear about it_ ," Anakin protests.

"We were just saying hello," Cody says innocently, and Obi-Wan releases a short laugh that's nearly a giggle. Maybe he _is_ still a bit out of it. Anakin rolls his eyes and stands.

"I'm going to get a coffee." As soon as he leaves, Cody nudges the chair back to Obi-Wan's bedside and plops down in it. Obi-Wan's blue eyes are watching him fondly, and Cody instinctively reaches to brush a reddish lock of hair away from them, as though it was something he did every day. 

_Hm._

Cody might be completely, irretrievably in love.

\------------------

When Anakin returns, Obi-Wan collects himself to call Mace. He has a feeling he knows where this is going, and he's not sure how it'll work out. The phone barely gets through one ring before the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs picks up. He's a little grumpy. Obi-Wan puts the phone in speaker mode so that Anakin and Cody can listen. They're definitely going to wake Ahsoka up, but there's not much he can do about that.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting for you to call for hours. Everyone was very anxious. You're on speaker, by the way. Any news on Maul? Aren't you glad you had security?"

"Sorry about him. He's been beside himself, especially since Anakin relayed your condition as having 'severe brain damage.'" Shaak Ti's aristocratic voice interrupts Mace's deluge of commentary, and Obi-Wan shoots a murderous glare at Anakin. He most certainly did not have severe brain damage.

"That's quite alright. Nice to hear from you guys too." Obi-Wan can perfectly imagine Mace's steely gaze. He's just so fun to tease, but Obi-Wan knows it's probably not the best time to do so.

"Hello, Obi-Wan! How're ya doin'?" Kit Fisto greets, sounding far more at ease than the others.

"Also there, Anakin is?" Yoda inquires. Goodness, is he on the phone with every single Minister of State?

"Yeah, I'm here. Hi." Obi-Wan steals a glance at Cody, who looks vaguely amused. Obi-Wan really must remember to be careful not to be distracted by the man's muscular arms—as wonderful as Cody had looked in his fine suit, Obi-Wan was having just as hard of a time not staring when he was wearing a simple form-fitting t-shirt...

"...until it's safe." Obi-Wan has missed something. Oh dear. Anakin is giving him yet another sour look. 

"I uh...lost connection for a second, what did you say?"

" _Bullshit_ ," Anakin mutters, and Obi-Wan dearly hopes the phone didn't pick that up.

"I was _saying_ ," Mace repeats. "That you need to find somewhere else to stay and recover until such time as Maul is captured. You will be released later today, yes? Plo Koon's home is far too obvious, and he will be watching the location now. An obscure hotel will probably be sufficient, but not especially secure..."

"They can stay with me," Cody says when Mace trails off. Cody looks surprised, as though the words had left his mouth without clearance from his brain. There is a beat of silence.

"Who are you?" Mace asks warily. 

"I'm...one of the bodygaurds?" Cody replies awkwardly. Obi-Wan considers that a woefully insufficient introduction.

"This is Cody Fett, he saved my life. I trust him completely," he pauses. "Are you sure, Cody?"

"Well, yeah. My brothers won't care, they'll be happy to help. And Rex will be there too, for extra security. We don't have a ton of space, but we're definitely under the radar. I don't think Maul will be looking for you in Flatbush." Obi-Wan agrees, and the idea of seeing where Cody lives makes his heart flutter.

"Does anyone have a problem with that?" Obi-Wan asks, his tone not inviting dissenters. And thus, arrangements are made.

\------------------

As soon as the decision is reached for Anakin and Obi-Wan to stay with Cody and his brothers, Cody whips out his phone, suddenly very nervous, and opens up the family group chat. 

**Cody**

Who's home?

**_Rex_ **

_not meee_

__

_**Gregor** _

_I'm here, not going to work till 8_

__

**_Waxer_ **

_im off todaaaay, whats up_

**Cody**

We are going to have house guests. Get cleaning.

**_Rex_ **

_omg_

__

**_Waxer_ **

_THE FANCY BRITISH PEOPLE?_

_can i leave out the replica of a trebuchet im working on_

**Cody**

I don't care, as long it's not a mess and nothing smells weird. 

_**Boil** _

_oh yeah we will make everything nice and pretty for your boyfriend. do you want us to pretend that we dont have air mattresses_

**Cody**

No, do not do that.

_**Gregor** _

_Do they like pasta?_

Cody looks up from his phone. Obi-Wan is just finishing his conversation with his strange, intimidating coworkers. Work chatter had devolved rather quickly into bickering. 

"Do you two like pasta?" 

"Everyone likes pasta." Anakin replies without hesitation. Well, that settles it then.

\------------------

Cody, Anakin, and Obi-Wan (carrying his plant, or course) ride the subway south, far deeper into Brooklyn than Obi-Wan has ever been. When they exit the station at Flatbush Avenue, the buildings are much older and lower than they are where they caught the train. It's just as busy, though, and signs indicate that they're near Brooklyn College. Cody leads them down a few blocks to a residential street, lined with small, single-family homes. It's quite different from what Obi-Wan normally associates with the city—the area is almost suburban, and if it weren't for the buses and the distinctive New York signage, he'd think that they were somewhere else. 

Finally, Cody stops them in front of a very narrow, two story brick house with a little front yard and a driveway. Behind the house, Obi-Wan can see a basketball hoop and a little section of a court. He recalls Cody mentioning one of his brothers playing basketball with the neighbors at some point and smiles at the thought. 

Cody invites them inside, toeing off his shoes by the door. Obi-Wan follows suit and gestures silently for Anakin to do the same. They've entered into a cozy sitting room with a television and an eclectic array of furniture. The walls are lined with bookshelves and photos, and there's a peculiar wooden sculpture in the corner of the room that looks kind of like...

"Is that a counterweight trebuchet?" Anakin asks, voicing Obi-Wan's suspicion.

"I...believe so. Waxer likes to build historical replicas. He has a guillotine in his room."

"A _guillotine_?" Anakin seems to be oscillating between horror and glee.

"He would be overjoyed to share it with you if you're interested, I'm sure. Where is everyone?" A head pops out into the hallway leading towards the back of the house. A _very familiar_ head.

"Wait, there are _three_ of you?" Anakin looks astonished, and the man walking towards them laughs. He's a little softer looking than Cody, and he has a beard, but the resemblance is striking.

"Yep, we're triplets. The twins are here too, dunno where they went..." he trails off, glancing around. "Oh! Hi, I'm Gregor. Welcome!" The three of them shake hands, and then there's a thundering sound from the stairs in the hall. Two boys roughly Ahsoka's age appear. They're even more identical than the triplets, though their sparse, youthful facial hair is slightly different. 

"This is Waxer and Boil," Cody introduces them, and the twins wave enthusiastically. "Everyone, this is Obi-Wan and Anakin. Like I said, they're going to be staying with us for a bit."

"Cody says you have a guillotine," Anakin says, looking at Waxer intently. He can truly have a one-track mind at times. Waxer looks delighted, and the two launch off on a discussion of archaic war history without further preamble.

"Come on, I'm making dinner." Obi-Wan follows Cody and Gregor back into the kitchen. It smells amazing—the scent of basil, tomatoes, and fresh bread drifts through the air. It's been a while since Obi-Wan has had a home-cooked meal that isn't breakfast. He likes to cook, but his schedule doesn't often allow for elaborate dinners. 

"I think I know a good spot for Oberon," Cody says, holding out his hand. Obi-Wan passes him the little plant, and Cody brings him over to the sunny windowsill of a window above a small table which overlooks the back yard and the basketball court. Obi-Wan grins. 

"I think that's perfect."

\------------------

They eat dinner once Rex arrives home, looking exhausted. Everything is delicious, as usual—Cody is always impressed by his brother's cooking, since no one else in the family can do more than fry an egg. 

"They've got nothing, really. I mean, they know _who_ he is, but it's like he dropped off the face of the Earth." Cody finds this unsettling. He can't protect Obi-Wan from something they can't find. 

"They did find the rifle, though. He abandoned it in an alley in midtown." Well, at least Maul will have to get closer to make a move. It's not much, but it's something. 

After dinner, everyone moves into the living room, except for Cody, who goes upstairs to set up air mattresses in his and Rex's rooms. He's glad he does this without Obi-Wan, because when he enters his room he finds his bed strewn with fake rose petals. He's going to have to have a word with the twins. Cody picks up the little red circles of fabric and dumps them haphazardly in the bottom drawer of his dresser. Where did they even _get_ fake rose petals?

When he returns to the living room several minutes later, Anakin is sandwiched between Boil and Waxer on the couch. They're playing some sort of racing game on the tv, and trying to sabotage each other by tossing pillows at each other periodically, which just results in them all losing spectacularly to the game itself, but they seem to be having a good time. It's definitely the most he's seen Anakin smile without Senator Amidala involved. Obi-Wan is standing, looking at the array of family pictures on the wall. Most of them are of the twins and much younger pictures of Cody, Rex, and Gregor. Among them, there's one from their friend Bly's wedding to Aayla that Rex has a suit from, one of the ship Cody and Rex had served on, and one of Waxer standing proudly next to one of his many elaborate historical projects. 

"Is that your father?" Obi-Wan has found the only picture that includes their father on the entire wall, a tiny photo from when the twins had just been born. The triplets looked even more alike at that age—even Cody sometimes forgets which one is him and which one is Gregor. Fortunately, Rex's blond hair saves them from extra confusion. They're posing, somewhat awkwardly, this very room, though his dad's leather chair featured in the picture has since been removed because none of the brothers would ever sit in it. 

"Yup," Cody confirms. "That's the bastard." Obi-Wan gives a startled laugh, then looks apologetic.

"Sorry. That's not funny."

"Nah, it's fine. We're over it. His name is Jango Fett, and even if he came back at some point, we wouldn't want him."

"Fair enough," Obi-Wan says, and then points to a picture of Cody at about fifteen, looking somewhat sullen, sitting in front of a piano. "Do you still play?"

"Not recently. Just a little bit in high school. I tried a couple times not that long ago, and I remember a little, but I don't have a piano here so I can't stay in practice."

"My family tried to make me learn the violin," Obi-Wan recalls. "But I never liked it that much. I was always either fencing or reading at that age. Or gardening. I was raised in my family's home in London, but my parents were always away. There was a greenhouse behind it and I'd always hide there to escape my tutors."

"Hence Oberon?"

"Hence Oberon. He's a cutting one of the first plants I grew all by myself. He knows all my secrets." Cody laughs, though Obi-Wan seems quite serious. 

"Wait, how old does that make the original plant?"

"If you want to know how old I am, you can just ask," Obi-Wan says cheekily. "Jade plants can live for a century, some say. Definitely decades, with good care. Lysander, the original plant, is only twenty-one, though that particular clipping is much younger—I only started it a few months ago." 

"Damn. He only just turned the legal drinking age here." It's Obi-Wan's turn to laugh, his eyes crinkling. Cody's heart swells. "And you're thirty-three. You have a Wikipedia page, I can just look up anything I want to know about you."

"Not _anything_ ," Obi-Wan says coquettishly, and Cody fails to resist becoming flustered once again. His blush just makes Obi-Wan smile wider, though, so it doesn't bother him too much.

\------------------

When a yawn escapes Obi-Wan a few hours later, Cody declares that it's time for bed and leads him upstairs to his room. It's sparsely decorated and meticulously clean, just as Obi-Wan would have imagined for his no-nonsense friend. Obi-Wan doesn't have pajamas, as Anakin has packed seemingly random articles of Obi-Wan's clothing from Plo's house into a duffle bag. 

"Sorry to ask, but do you have a sleep shirt I could borrow?" Cody reaches into a drawer and pulls out a gray t-shirt with an unfamiliar band name on it. 

"Might be a bit big on you," Cody says apologetically. Obi-Wan hesitates for a second and then unbuttons his shirt, which has the delightful effect of making Cody turn even redder than he had when Obi-Wan had flirted with him earlier. He leans forward to take the shirt from Cody's limp fingers, unable to stop himself from smiling. The shirt is several sizes too big for him, but it's very soft.

When Cody recovers, they argue over who gets the bed for a bit ("You're the guest!" "It's _your_ bed!" "You've been shot!"), an argument which Obi-Wan ultimately loses. He's glad he does, though, because the pillows are incredibly comfortable and smell like Cody. 

"Good night, Cody." 

"Good night, Obi-Wan." 

\------------------

Obi-Wan is asleep almost instantly, but wakes up again an hour later. It's dark and silent, and he can hear Cody's steady breathing from the air mattress. He rolls over and looks down at the other man, who appears asleep. He's only on one side of the mattress. Obi-Wan eyes the open space next to him for several minutes, debating. 

"C'mere," Cody's voice is so low and bogged down with sleep that Obi-Wan almost doesn't hear him, but he doesn't need telling twice. He shoves the comfortable navy pillow off the bed and beside Cody's pillow, then slinks down to join it, settling down a few inches from Cody, not wanting to push the man's boundaries more than he already has tonight. Cody clearly has other plans, though, because the second Obi-Wan stops moving Cody's arm snakes around his waist and pulls him firmly against his chest. Obi-Wan nestles closer and falls into a deep, contented sleep.

\------------------

Cody doesn't clearly remember Obi-Wan joining him on the air mattress, but when he wakes up, his face is buried in ridiculously soft coppery hair that smells vaguely of lavender. He's wrapped himself possessively around the other man, their legs are in a tangle, and one of them has threaded their fingers together. Cody feels like he should be embarrassed or something, but all he feels is sleepy tranquility. He doesn't move, not wanting to disturb Obi-Wan, who needs his sleep. Instead, he closes his eyes and enjoys the warmth of the body pressed against him, astonished that he gets to have this.

Eventually, Obi-Wan begins to stir. Instead of moving away from him as Cody had expected him to, he pulls Cody's arm closer around him and squeezes his hand slightly. 

"I guess I should have taken the bed," Cody says quietly. "That way we'd both be up there now." Obi-Wan releases a breath of laughter that Cody feels against his chest. 

"Next time," he says. _Next time_.

"Coffee?"

"Coffee."

As usual, no one else is awake yet. Obi-Wan leans against the counter as Cody sets about making a pot of coffee. They watch the pot in peaceful silence, and when it's done, Cody pulls down two thick cream colored diner mugs. 

"Milk or sugar?"

"Just a little milk," Obi-Wan replies. Cody adds a splash of milk and passes him the steaming mug, and Obi-Wan thanks him. Cody's heart swells at how cute he is, sleepily sipping coffee in one of Cody's own shirts, his normally-immaculate hair askew and blue eyes slightly unfocused. They drink in silence for a little longer, then Obi-Wan sets down his mug. 

Quite suddenly, Cody just can't take it any more. He sets down his own mug and closes the few feet of distance between them, moving slow enough that Obi-Wan could stop him if he wanted to. He doesn't, though his eyes widen when he realizes what's happening. Cody reaches around and cups the back of Obi-Wan's head with one hand and places the other on the counter behind him, and bows his head down to kiss him softly on the lips. For a moment, Obi-Wan is completely still, and Cody worries he's made a mistake. But then, arms wrap around him and he becomes blissfully incapable of worrying about anything at all. 

Obi-Wan parts his lips slightly, and Cody kisses him deeper, pressing Obi-Wan back into the counter behind him. He tastes like coffee—Cody is sure he does too—and his beard tickles Cody's chin pleasantly. If Cody could think, he would think that he would happily do this every day forever. He feels Obi-Wan's hand weave under his shirt to rest on his hip, and nibbles lightly on the other man's lip in response, eliciting a soft moan which does all sorts of things for Cody. Abruptly, he realizes that if this continues he won't be able to control anything that happens next, and pulls back slightly.

They're both out of breath, faces flushed. After a second, Obi-Wan smiles. If his hair had been messy before, it was almost comically deranged now. Cody attempts to smooth it. 

"Um...yeah." Cody breaks the silence, articulate as usual.

"You good?"

"That'd be...an understatement." Obi-Wan laughs, and Cody kisses him again, chastely this time. Obi-Wan's hand that isn't under Cody's shirt rests against his face, rubbing his cheek lazily with his thumb. 

"Arg! Get a room!" Someone says from the door. "Oh wait, you have one. Go to your room!" It's Boil, Waxer trailing behind him, likely coaxed downstairs by the smell of coffee. Cody doesn't even bother to move away from Obi-Wan.

"Get your coffees and go, we're busy!"


	9. Home Security Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waxer and Boil employ archaic technology to save the day. The boys talk about their feelings for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In light of current events, I feel like I should mention that this is written in an alternate universe where the criminal justice system isn't a corrupt, prejudiced, unjust shitshow. ACAB.
> 
> Also, we are pretty much at the end of what I had planned for this fic. I realize the ending is a little fast, though, so I am posting an epilogue in a couple minutes. I think I'm going to revisit this fic/universe later at another time, with fresh eyes. I have a couple of other things I want to work on also and I'm allergic to abandoning things. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Maul Opress is becoming...impatient. If it weren't for that ridiculous bodyguard, Kenobi would be dead already, and Maul's name may never have become tied to this whole ordeal. It would be a very irritating complication, but he could work around it.

But he has never been one to leave his plans unfinished. It isn't hard to gather intelligence on the guard, Cody Fett, and track him down to his home. However, Maul did not anticipate being able to kill two birds with one stone. Kenobi and his assistant are in hiding with their guards. 

How foolish.

Maul watches the house. He wishes he still had his sniper rife, but it was too big to carry around without drawing attention to himself, even in a case, so when he fled the conference he had abandoned the weapon. His pistol is still stashed in his coat, though, and he has his knife. 

Many hours pass, and Maul stays hidden. He is quite good at hiding in plain sight, when he wants to be. He is waiting for an opportunity to get in the house, where there will be no escape for Kenobi or his friends when it is time to strike once again. At long last, around six o'clock, the four of them leave the house. Yet _another_ man identical to the other guards leaves with them. Now, all Maul has to do is find a way in...

\------------------

The day passes in a haze of phone calls and emails for Obi-Wan, which is even more annoying than it would have been normally because all he really _wants_ to do is go back to kissing Cody. The event plays on a loop in the back of his mind, threatening to derail his train of thought at any point. It doesn't help that Cody is by his side all day, looking at him _like that_ —not that Obi-Wan would ever have it any other way. Their "grossness," as Anakin calls it, earns them many an eye-roll throughout the day, and several exasperated shakes of the head. Anakin is never happy. 

In the evening, Gregor comes into the living room, where they're camped out—Obi-Wan and Cody on the couch, legs tangled together; Anakin in the armchair, ostensibly helping Obi-Wan answer emails and coordinate with the authorities both in the States and back home, though Obi-Wan has seen no evidence of this thus far; and Waxer in the corner, tinkering with his homemade siege weapon from the Middle Ages with occasional pointers from Anakin, who Obi-Wan often forgets is an encyclopedia of obscure war history. 

"I'm about to head to my shift at the restaurant—anybody wanna come? Dinner's on the house." Obi-Wan looks hopefully at Cody, who seems uncertain.

"Oh, thank God—I'm _starving_." At least Anakin is consistent about some things.

"I could use an outing, to be honest," he says, and Cody reluctantly agrees. 

"Alright, but Rex is coming too. For extra protection."

"Of course, my dear."

\------------------

"I think it's finished. Needs a coat of paint though," Waxer says to his twin, who he's hauled in from the basketball court to admire his work. "I'm thinking bright red. And maybe some flames." Boil considers this. 

"I could see it. D'ya think we'd get yelled at if you tested it in Prospect Park?"

"Dunno what their trebuchet policy is. Maybe." The twins have opted out of dinner in favor of their respective hobbies, electing for forage for snacks at home when they get hungry. It's rare that they have the house to themselves—usually when their brothers are working, they are also working. 

Boil is opening a can of Coke in the kitchen when he hears a funny sound. A sort of tapping and scratching that seems to be coming from the back door. Then the door handle rattles. He walks over to the window and peeks towards the door just in time to see the back of a bald man's head walk around the side of the house, back towards the front.

What had Rex said the guy after Obi-Wan looked like again?

He dashes back to the living room, trying to stay quiet since the potential intruder seems to think that the house is empty, and whispers, "hey, Waxer—I think someone's trying to get in the house."

"Did somebody leave their keys? Wouldn't be the first time."

"No, it's a bald guy." Waxer is silent, clearly doing the same math that Boil had done earlier. "What do we do?"

"I'm gonna call them." Boil tries all three of his brothers, but no one picks up. There's more faint rattling and scratching downstairs. They exchange an alarmed glace.

"He's gonna get in," Waxer wrings his hands. "Police?"

"We should call but—he's here _now,_ Wax."

"Well, we can't do anything against a dude with a _gun._ " He has a point. Boil looks around, panic escalating with every passing moment and noise from outside. The rattling has moved to the back door again, but it's becoming vigorous now. "You call. I'm going to put things in front of the door—"

"Wait!" Waxer suddenly sounds almost excited. Boil follows his gaze to the corner of the living room and his eyes widen.

"No way."

\------------------

It takes Maul longer than he'd have liked to jimmy the lock on the door. The front door felt like it had more give, but then it occurred to him that in order for his scheme to work, the door mustn't look as though it has been messed with when Kenobi returns. He's glad he chose to do this with everyone out, as the process is a lot noisier than he had anticipated.

Finally, the back door opens into a small kitchen. He looks down the dark hall—there's the staircase. Now, all he has to do is identify the room Kenobi is staying in and find a place to— _what is that?_

"NOW!" Maul's eyes widen and he begins to raise his hands—but it's too late. He feels something rough collide with his nose, knocking his head back against the door, and Maul Opress is knocked out. 

\------------------

It occurs to Cody that he should probably have been checking his phone when he sees the missed call from Boil. Rex has one too. He tries to call Boil back, but there's no response. A chill goes down Cody's spine. They shoot Gregor a text and all of them leave immediately. When they look down their street and see several police cars and an ambulance, Cody and Rex break into a run. This is _bad_. Cody should never have left them alone. Cody's _never_ going to forgive himself if something's happened to—

"Welcome home!" They skid to a halt in front of Waxer, who's standing on the sidewalk in front of the house with Boil, talking to a police officer.

"What the _fuck_ is going on? Are you okay?"

"Yup. And you're welcome." The twins look way too proud of themselves, considering the number of emergency vehicles around. Then Cody looks past them and sees Maul Opress, in handcuffs, being led from their front door to a police car. 

" _What did you do?_ "

\------------------

"You defended this house. Against an armed man. _With a basketball-launching homemade trebuchet_." If Cody hadn't just been beside himself with worry, he'd be quite impressed. As it is, he is going to need a while to recover from the awareness of all of the other ways this could have turned out, most of them involving having fewer brothers.

"And it worked!" Waxer still sounds much too happy. 

"Next time," Cody says, his face his hands. " _Just escape and get help._ "

"I hope there isn't a next time, personally," Boil says. He seems in good spirits too, though a little shaken from the adrenaline. Cody pretends not to see Anakin and Waxer exchanging a thumbs up out of the corner of his eye. 

It's the middle of the night by the time the authorities leave, and many phone calls have been made. Cody spots a reporter's van parked across the street and resolves not to look at the news for a few days, not especially interested in seeing his own house on it. Obi-Wan contacts his government, and then Plo and Ahsoka. Cody thinks he overhears one of Obi-Wan's coworkers asking for him to return to London as soon as possible, which fills Cody with dread, but he's so exhausted that he manages to push the thoughts out of his mind to be revisited in the morning. 

When everyone can finally go to bed, there's no question as to the sleeping arrangements. Cody makes himself comfortable, then holds up the blankets for Obi-Wan, who snuggles against him happily. For now, Cody allows himself to relax.

\------------------

A day passes, and Obi-Wan makes no mention of his inevitable return to London. Mace's emails get increasingly persistent, but Obi-Wan has almost been assassinated three times for Christ's sake, he's allowed a little break. He works from his laptop in the living room, enjoying the many opportunities to openly flirt with Cody, much to the entertainment (or annoyance) of the rest of the household. They haven't spoken about what's going on between them yet, and it makes Obi-Wan rather nervous. Perhaps Cody isn't actually interested in a relationship, and would rather let their connection dissolve when Obi-Wan returns home. 

They manage to avoid the topic completely in favor of less stressful distractions until the evening, when they're both getting ready for bed. Obi-Wan is setting cross-legged on Cody's comforter, and Cody is looking for a shirt in his dresser. Suddenly, he stops and looks at Obi-Wan. 

"I like having you here," Cody says, a little awkwardly. "With me, I mean."

"I like being here," Obi-Wan replies. For a second he thinks that's all Cody's going to say, but then he continues. 

"I wish you didn't have to go. I mean, I know you do. But I wish you could stay, or I could go with you, or something. This past week has been...and adventure, that's for sure, but also one of the best in my life. Er. Because I got to be with you. That sounds _so_ sappy, sorry, I—it's true, though." He pauses, and Obi-Wan waits patiently, because it seems like Cody is going somewhere with this and Obi-Wan thinks he likes where it's going. 

"I can understand if you don't want to, or want to think about it, but I have to ask—would you consider being, like, a couple? I know it hasn't been that long, and it might be kind of difficult, cause—" 

"Yes, absolutely."

"That's what I fig—wait, you said _yes_?" Cody looks so unbelievably flustered that Obi-Wan stands and walks over to embrace him, hoping to set the other man's mind at ease. 

"I was hoping you'd say that. I didn't want you to feel pressured into anything, but I...care for you quite a lot, Cody. And I want to be with you. My job is taxing and time consuming, and it might be difficult, but I want to try." He kisses Cody firmly, savoring the warmth of his mouth against his own. Cody laces their fingers together and holds on tightly, as though hoping to fuse their hands together permanently. Obi-Wan pulls back slowly and rests his forehead against Cody's. 

"I'm in love with you," Cody blurts out in a rush. _Oh._ Obi-Wan's heart feels as though it might escape his chest.

"Oh, Cody...I love you too." The admission feels natural, and Obi-Wan feels a weight that he didn't know he'd been carrying lift from his shoulders. He pulls Cody towards forward a little.

"Come to bed, my dear," Obi-Wan coaxes. He watches as Cody's pupils dilate, and Obi-Wan knows he's managed to convey the subtext he'd meant to.

"One second, let me just find—" Cody says, turning away briefly to rummage through the drawer again before triumphantly pulling out the shirt he's been looking for, along with a cascade of flat red oval shapes that remind Obi-Wan of...

"Are those...rose petals?" 


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are a lot of balloons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I know this wasn't perfect, but I really appreciate everyone who's reviewed/left kudos, since it's given me a little bit of confidence to keep practicing and maybe send more stuff your way in the future. 
> 
> Enjoy this cute lil epilogue. Sorry these last couple chapters were all posted in a clump, I wrote them ridiculously out of order.
> 
> -Roman

Ahsoka, Plo, and Cody's brothers meet Anakin in front of Cody and Obi-Wan's home in London. It's a beautiful summer day, and they've gathered for a very important event—it's Cody's birthday, and they've decided to throw him a surprise party. Obi-Wan lets them in, having escaped work early to let everyone in to help set up the party.

"Hello there!" Obi-Wan distributes hugs and smiles. It's been a long time since they were all in the same place at the same time. The last time would likely have been at Obi-Wan and Cody's wedding last year, which was a festive but quite private affair. 

Everyone has spread out quite a bit since the time Obi-Wan and Anakin came to New York City all those years ago. Ahsoka started traveling extensively after finishing school, sending her friends postcards from all over the world. The brothers no longer live together, as Gregor now lives above the restaurant he owns in downtown Brooklyn, and both Waxer and Boil have gone off to college. Boil is playing basketball for Duke University, and Waxer is a star student of history at the University of Chicago. Meanwhile, Rex took over Yularen's job when he'd retired last year, and moved to Manhattan to be closer to the office. 

The house is _filled_ with balloons. There's a cluster of them tied to every chair or table leg in sight, and there are streamers hanging from the high ceilings.

"Oh my God," Anakin says, looking around. "How did you even get up there? And how many days did you spend inflating balloons?"

"I may have gone a little overboard with the decorations." Obi-Wan looks a little sheepish.

"There's no such thing," Ahsoka declares, and begins arranging presents on the coffee table. 

"There might be once it's time to take them down..."

"Now, now—there will be none of that negativity here today, Anakin." Plo says, hauling an enormous container of cupcakes towards the dining room. 

"He'll be home soon, so everyone finish up what you're doing and go to your hiding location!" Obi-Wan announces an hour later to the room at large, which has become much busier as more friends arrive, Bo-Katan and Bail among them, and all the last-minute arrangements come to a stop. Then, Rex, who's closest to the door, turns out the lights, and everyone waits. 

\------------------

Cody makes his way home from work in high spirits. He likes the security consultation work he does now much more than he liked just being a guard—there's more strategy involved, and the hours are astronomically better. He hadn't minded his job before, but he'd missed having to use his brain—most of his assignments had just required him to stand around looking intimidating. Obi-Wan had helped him find this job. After about a year of long-distance and brief visits from Obi-Wan under the guise of increasingly far-fetched work-related assignments, they'd decided that it would be better to cut to the chase and move in together. It had been the best decision Cody's ever made. 

It's also Cody's birthday. He wishes he could have arranged to see his brothers and friends, but he hadn't wanted to bother them. Everyone was so busy all the time, and he felt bad asking them all to come to London from wherever they were for his birthday, which happens every year anyway. Cody is happy to spend the evening with Obi-Wan though, and he's sure his husband has something nice planned for them. He always does.

When Cody arrives outside the house, the windows are dark. He usually beats Obi-Wan home—if living with him has taught Cody anything, it's that the man works _way too much_. The best present Obi-Wan could give him for his birthday would be to take a day off, for his own benefit as well as Cody's. 

Cody opens the door, sets down his bag, flicks the light switch, and—

"SURPRISE!" Cody jumps about a foot in the air, raising his hands as if to protect himself. But no attack comes, and he looks around to see the faces of his brothers and several of his and Obi-Wan's friends emerging from behind the sofa, chairs, and the curtains. Boil actually rolls out from _under_ the sofa, which can't have been comfortable. There are _so many_ balloons. 

Obi-Wan is in the center of it all, looking quite pleased with himself.

"I'm assuming this is all you?" Cody smiles warmly at his husband. 

"I had some help," Obi-Wan says modestly. "Happy Birthday, my dear." Cody strides forward to give him a kiss— _damn, he loves Obi-Wan so much_ —and sets about catching up with his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst. If you are on tumblr and feel like following someone you can follow me (romanmoray).


End file.
